★★★★★
I've tried many different old and new home remedies with no lasting results. After the first night of ozone eye drops, I woke-up this morning with NO CRUSTY EYES. My eyes have not hurt all day. My GF was complaining her eyes were dry, so I convinced her to try the ozone drops. She said they don't feel as dry with one hour.
Ozone is not new in its use as medicine. Ozone has been heavily studied for over a century. The medical use of ozone to treat infections and wounds has actually been around for over 150 years and its effectiveness has been well documented (1). But only during the First World War did ozone as a medical treatment find broader recognition.
Ozone has a sharp “electrical smell”, and it was this smell that led to its discovery. Late eighteenth and early nineteenth-century scientists noticed ozone's distinctive odor following an electrical reaction of a lightning strike. Upon isolating the gaseous chemical, German-Swiss chemist Christian Friedrich Schönbein named it “ozone” from the Greek word “to smell.” Ozone's potential as a powerful disinfectant was soon realized. In the late 1800's ozone was used to purify drinking water. Its powerful oxidizing capabilities meant that ozone could be used to kill microbes and bacteria. In fact, it was even used to treat infection during the First World War.
Medical O3 is used to disinfect and treat disease. Mechanism of actions is by inactivation of bacteria, viruses, fungi, yeast and protozoa (parasites), stimulation of oxygen metabolism, activation of the immune system. Ozonized water, whose use is particularly known in dental medicine, is optimally applied as a spray or compress. Diseases treated are infected wounds, circulatory disorders, geriatric conditions, macular degeneration, viral diseases, rheumatism/arthritis, cancer, SARS and AIDS.
Ozone therapy has been in use since the 1800s and in 1896 the genius Nikola Tesla patented the first O3 generator in the US, later forming the “Tesla Ozone Company.” During the first world war (1914-18) doctors familiar with O3's antibacterial properties, and with few other medical resources available to them applied it topically to infected wounds and discovered O3 not only remedied infection, but also had hemodynamic and anti-inflammatory properties. In the late 1980s, reports had emerged that German physicians were successfully treating HIV patients with 03-AHT (Autohemotherapy). There was then no pharmaceutical treatment for HIV and a pandemic was feared, so Canadian authorities authorized the study to test safety and efficacy of 03-AHT in AIDS patients.
1. Ozone therapy: A clinical review – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3312702/
Ozone O3 - Cure Pinkeye With Oxygen Therapy? Texas Optometrist uses ozonated, distilled water, sprayed into the eye to clear up Pinkeye:
Date of Article: November 19,2013
Source: https://www.farmprogress.com/farm-business/cure-pinkeye-with-oxygen-therapy-
Bob Bard thinks he may have figured how to use oxygen therapy on pinkeye in cattle. Bard, who is a north Texas optometrist and beef producer, says when his cattle have developed pinkeye in recent years he's been using ozonated, distilled water, sprayed into the eye with a simple spray bottle several times over a day or two. He says usually the eye clears right up.
Oxygen therapy is not unusual for a variety of maladies, including eye problems, but it is not well known or possibly not well accepted across the medical community. It is sometimes used in hyperbaric conditions, meaning the patient is put in a pressurized chamber with higher-than normal oxygen content. Or the oxygen may be delivered straight into the airways for breathing, thereby increasing oxygen content in the blood.
Bard says he also knows of doctors and veterinarians putting an injured limb or appendage in a plastic bag and filling it with oxygen, then keeping the bag in place for about a half an hour, and repeating the process over several days.
He says about the time his cattle first started showing pinkeye seven or eight years ago, his wife also came down with the human version of the disease. A veterinarian friend had suggested using ozonated water on the cattle and Bard, who says he leans toward holistic medical practices, had already purchased a medical ozonater which converts medical grade oxygen to ozone. Bard says he put a few drops of ozonated water in his wife's eyes two nights in a row and cured her.
"When I treat people with antibiotics pinkeye never clears up that fast, " he says with amazement.
The next time his cattle showed pinkeye he used the treatment on them and found the same rapid healing.
Bard and his wife have an extensive water filtration system which delivers water very similar to distilled water, so he suggests using distilled water for its cleanliness.
Bard was looking for an alternative to antibiotics for the occasional pinkeye problem in cattle when the ozonated water reared its head.
"I ozonate filtered water and put into a spray bottle and then just spray the affected eye. I have had tearing and mucus on a cow clear up and stop draining in 24 hours with just one spraying session. It never takes more than three or four sprayings to stop the infection without antibiotics, " he says.
Incidentally, he still uses antibiotics in his paying medical patients.
Although Bard has a medical ozonator he suggests that any ozonator, such as those used to clean the water in hot tubs, could do the same work. He says internal treatment requires medical oxygen but for external treatment you can use oxygen from welding supply stores.
Bard suggests refrigerating the ozonated water to help stabilize it and suggests the quality of it probably doesn't last more than a few hours.
Bard says he also has used the ozonated water on cuts and infections on livestock and pets with some success and his veterinarian is using more conventional oxygen therapy on animals with great success.
How it works
It would appear since ozone is highly volatile in the lower atmosphere that ozonated water would create a dilute form of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Bard says they are not the same, however.
He once experimented with a few drops of food grade hydrogen peroxide in distilled water on a bull with pinkeye. He had his hired man administer the first treatment because Bard was busy and couldn't get there with ozonated water. (Note by Rob: NEVER PUT H2O2 IN YOUR EYES!)
He says the diluted hydrogen peroxide appeared to slow down the infection but he did not fully trust the concoction and he finished the treatment with ozonated water, which appears to pose no dangers. Getting the hydrogen peroxide mixed to the right level is all guesswork, Bard says.
"You must use food grade H2O2 and not store bought because the store bought is not purified and has all kinds of metals and toxins, " he says. "Store-bought is all right for cleaning cuts and scrapes but I would not use on eyes."
"Remember that store bought peroxide is about 3% and food grade is 35% H2O2, " he adds.
How to make Ozone Eye Drops – VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIlCwP50nYw
Use of Ozone-Based Eye Drops: A Series of Cases in Veterinary and Human Spontaneous Ocular Pathologies
Source: https://karger.com/cop/article/9/2/287/70543/Use-of-Ozone-Based-Eye-Drops-A-Series-of-Cases-in
Abstract
Conjunctivitis, keratoconjunctivitis, and corneal ulcers are common eye disorders frequently diagnosed in both humans and animals, and are currently treated by topical administration of eye drops containing anti-inflammatory and antibacterial agents. The current molecules often lack efficacy because infections in hypoxic tissue contain methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa; thus, new products for the treatment of ocular pain and inflammation are needed. The use of ozone, a molecule stabilized for topical use as an ozonide, could be providential due to its anti-inflammatory and bactericidal activity in certain anterior segment pathologies, in addition to promoting tissue repair properties. Ozonated oils have the same properties as gaseous ozone and are well tolerated by tissues. In the present study the repair and regeneration effect of ozonated oil in liposomes plus hypromellose (Ozodrop®, FB Vision, Ascoli Piceno, Italy) instilled 3–4 times a day in external ocular spontaneous pathologies both in animals and humans are reported.
Introduction
Ozone (O3) gas is a molecule consisting of three atoms of oxygen in a dynamically unstable structure due to the presence of mesomeric states [1]. Thanks to its great oxidative power, ozone has been widely recognized as one of the best bactericidal, antiviral, and antifungal agents [2].
In spite of its oxidative effect, an adequate ozone dose can trigger several useful biochemical mechanisms and reactivate the antioxidant system (i.e., catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, etc.) [3]. Furthermore, ozone has been used as a clinical therapeutic agent for chronic wounds, such as trophic ulcers, ischemic ulcers, and diabetic wounds. The beneficial effects of ozone on wound healing might be assumed to be due to the upregulation of platelet-derived growth factor, transforming growth factor-β, and vascular endothelial growth factor expressions, the decreased bacterial infection, ameliorated impaired dermal wound healing, or increased oxygen tension by ozone exposure in the wound area [2]. Ozone in the gaseous state is extremely reactive and not always suitable as a topical treatment. In saline solution, its concentration reduces quickly with a first-order kinetic and its half-life is 2 h: this means that in about 24 h very little ozone will be left in the solution. Interestingly, in spite of its instability, the ozone molecule can be stabilized – for topical use – as an ozonide between the double bonds of a monounsaturated fatty acid such as oleic acid (olive oil) [4,5]. Ozonated oil is now used topically for the treatment of wounds, anaerobic infections, herpetic infections (HSV I and II), trophic ulcers and burns, cellulitis, abscesses, anal fissures, decubitus ulcers (bed sores), fistulae, fungal diseases, furunculosis, gingivitis, and vulvovaginitis [6].
The use of ozone in certain eye anterior segment pathologies could be providential due to its anti-inflammatory and bactericidal activity, in addition to promoting tissue repair properties. Unfortunately, ozonated oil is highly irritant for corneal tissue; thus, a specific formulation has been recently developed for ophthalmic use, based on liposomal sunflower ozonated oil plus hypromellose (Ozodrop®, FB Vision, Ascoli Piceno, Italy), which is extremely biocompatible with the delicate ocular surface tissue.
In our experience, this new liposomal ozonated oil formulation, specifically intended for ophthalmic use, was used to promote wound healing and treat some infective pathologies in common eye disorders encountered in both humans and animals. Inflammatory anterior segment diseases necessitating adequate anti-inflammatory therapy, such as conjunctivitis, keratitis, keratoconjunctivitis sicca, and corneal ulcers, are the most common eye disorders encountered in animals [7] and share some symptoms with humans, such as redness, chemosis, and exudation.
A topical dosage of one or two drops of collyrium every 4 h over 3–7 days is recommended, even though multiple and frequent instillations are often required to achieve clinical resolution, and some patients tend to become noncompliant with frequent medications [7,8]. The current agents are quite expensive and they often lack efficacy because infections in hypoxic tissue contain methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa; in some cases, they are inadequate and can cause unacceptable side effects.
In particular, there is a need for new products for the treatment of ocular pain and inflammation, such as during external ocular infections and inflammations, due to the related risk of blindness. The overuse of antibiotics in the treatment of infectious diseases, and the appearance of multidrug-resistant bacterial strains, has driven research towards the study of antimicrobial agents from essential oils [9]. Ozonated oils have the same properties of gaseous ozone, are well tolerated by biological tissues (corneal tolerability is increased in a liposomal formulation), and their biological activities are related to oxygenated compounds [9]. They are able to eliminate the pathogens by direct oxidation mediated by hydrogen peroxide, lipoperoxyde, and selective cytotoxicity on fast-dividing cells. This occurs through bacterial lysis and cell death, negative regulation on mitochondrial activity in bacteria, and disturbance of viral lithic enzymes, in superimposable manners compared to those of phagocytic cells of the immune system [10]. Moreover, ozone allows a “physiological” wound healing, minimizing the risk of keloidal scar and also the risk of haze in the cornea.
In addition, ozone promotes cell adaptation to oxidative stress and attenuates pathophysiological events mediated by reactive oxygen species. Ozone oxidative preconditioning significantly decreased malondialdehyde levels and increased the activity of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase. Serum interleukin-1β levels tend to decrease with ozone oxidative preconditioning [10]. Based on the many features and possible applications of ozone, the aim of the present study was a preliminary evaluation of repair and regeneration effect of ozonated oil in liposomes plus hypromellose (Ozodrop®) instilled 3–4 times a day in external ocular spontaneous pathologies in both animals and humans.
Anchor Veterinary Case Reports
Case 1.
A 26-year-old, neutered male, Italian saddle horse, was referred to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the University of Camerino because of right eye exophthalmos due to retrobulbar neoformation (probably neoplasm/osteosarcoma) and recurrent conjunctivitis, which had been treated with topical antibiotic (tobramycin) and both topical and systemic NSAIDs (piroxicam plus flunixine meglumine) without any significant improvement. On the day of presentation the horse showed a normal left eye; regarding the right eye, the symptoms were blepharitis and blepharospasmus, edematous and hyperemic conjunctiva, and plenty of mucous ocular discharge (Fig. 1). The day after the beginning of the therapy, blepharospasmus disappeared, and a reduction in blepharitis and conjunctival edema was noted. Moreover, there was a slight reduction in ocular discharge. After 3 days of therapy blepharitis and conjunctivitis disappeared and after a week of therapy the eye became completely normal (Fig. 2)
Image: https://karger.com/view-large/figure/7511195/000488846_f01.jpg
Fig. 1. Right eye of a 26-year-old horse before starting the treatment. Note blepharitis and blepharospasmus, edematous and hyperemic conjunctiva, and plenty of mucous ocular discharge.
Image: https://karger.com/view-large/figure/7511196/000488846_f02.jpg
Fig. 2. Same eye of Figure 1 after 7 days of therapy. Normal eye.
Case 2.
A 6-month-old male European short hair cat (Fig. 3) was affected by chronic conjunctivitis present from birth, which was unresponsive to the traditional antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory therapy. The day of presentation the cat showed marked conjunctival edema, especially in the right eye, reddening of the conjunctiva, and mucous discharge in both eyes. Conjunctival bacteriological swabs revealed normal bacteria count in the right eye (20 CFU) and the presence of Staphylococcus spp. and Enterococcus spp.; an increased amount of Staphylococcus spp. (140 CFU) in the left eye was detected. Therapy was consistent with instillation of one eye drop of collyrium in both eyes, twice a day until clinical and bacteriological resolution. After 3 days of therapy the conjunctival bacterial count became normal in both eyes (20 CFU) and Enterococcus spp. disappeared. After 10 days of therapy the conjunctival symptoms were no longer detectable (Fig. 4).
Image: https://karger.com/view-large/figure/7511199/000488846_f03.jpg
Fig. 3. Right eye of a 6-month-old cat before starting the treatment. Note marked conjunctival edema, reddening of the conjunctiva, and mucous discharge.
Image: https://karger.com/view-large/figure/7511200/000488846_f04.jpg
Fig. 4. Same eye of Figure 3 after 10 days of therapy. Normal eye, with mucous discharge still present.
Case 3.
A 3-year-old male English bulldog (Fig. 5) was referred to our department because of the presence of chronic keratitis in the right eye due to entropion of both eyelids. Because of other problems not related to the presenting pathologies, it was not possible to operate on the dog immediately due to the high risk of general anesthesia and, in accordance with the owner, it was decided to begin topical therapy with instillation of one drop of collyrium twice a day until surgery. On the day of the presentation the dog showed keratitis, corneal edema, and deep and superficial neovascularization. Discomfort, pruritus, and ocular mucous discharge were also present. After 10 days of therapy, keratitis had almost disappeared, corneal edema was resolved, and neovascularization remained only with a single, small caliper vessel arising from the limbus at the level of the medial cantus (Fig. 6). Entropion and mucous discharge were still present.
Image: https://karger.com/view-large/figure/7511203/000488846_f05.jpg
Fig. 5. Right eye of a 3-year-old English bulldog before starting the treatment. Note entropion, mucous discharge, keratitis, corneal edema, and deep and superficial neovascularization.
Image: https://karger.com/view-large/figure/7511204/000488846_f06.jpg
Fig. 6. Same eye of Figure 5 after 10 days of therapy. Corneal edema has resolved and neovascularization remains only with a single, small caliper vessel arising from the limbus at the level of the medial cantus. Entropion and mucous discharge are still present.
Anchor Human Case Reports
Case 1.
A 33-year-old man with a history of improper use of contact lens, including continuous wear, presented himself at our department with left eye pain, redness, and photophobia for 2 days. Correct distance visual acuity was 20/25. Slit-lamp examination revealed severe conjunctival injection with ciliary flush and a large inferior-nasal corneal abrasion with a positive fluorescein eye stain test (Fig. 7). Intraocular pressures were within the normal limits. The anterior chamber was quiescent, and the pupil was round and reactive. Topical moxifloxacin hydrochloride 0.5% 3 times a day and Ozodrop® 4 times a day were prescribed. Three days later the patient was without any ocular discomfort and the examination showed a clear cornea, good healing of the defect, and no sign of inflammation (Fig. 8).
Image: https://karger.com/view-large/figure/7511208/000488846_f07.jpg
Fig. 7. Left eye of a 33-year-old man before starting the treatment. Note ciliary flush and large epithelial defect.
Image: https://karger.com/view-large/figure/7511209/000488846_f08.jpg
Fig. 8. Same eye of Figure 7 after 3 days of therapy; the appearance is normal epithelium with no inflammatory signs.
Case 2.
A 79-year-old woman presented herself to our department reporting eye pain and irritation, headache, photophobia, and ocular discharge in the right eye. The patient had undergone perforating keratoplasty 10 years previously and in the last 3 months she had been in follow-up for band keratopathy complicated by an inferior corneal ulcer from the 5 o'clock to the 8 o'clock positions in the same eye. Examination showed perilesional infiltrates and edema, staining at cobalt-blue filtered light (Fig. 9). Intraocular pressures were within the normal limits. The anterior chamber was quiescent, and the pupil was round and reactive. A 7-day regimen of topic Ozodrop® 4 times a day was prescribed. Posttreatment evaluation revealed improvement of clinical signs with reduction of the infiltrate and the edema. Moreover, a partial healing of the ulcer with a residual corneal pooling using the cobalt blue filter was shown (Fig. 10). Regarding the related symptoms, only a slight photophobia remained.
Image: https://karger.com/view-large/figure/7511212/000488846_f09.jpg
Fig. 9. Right eye of a 79-year-old woman before starting the treatment. Note inferior corneal ulcer from the 5 o'clock to the 8 o'clock positions.
Image: https://karger.com/view-large/figure/7511214/000488846_f10.jpg
Fig. 10. Same eye of Figure 9 after 7 days of therapy. Partial healing of the ulcer with a residual corneal pooling.
Case 3.
A 71-year-old man was referred to our department because of pain and blurry vision in the left eye, which were unresponsive to conventional eye drops. The patient had a history of previous HSV-related corneal ulcer 2 months previously. Correct distance visual acuity was 1/20 with severe photophobia and glare. Examination showed a central, prominent disk-shaped area of stromal keratitis (Fig. 11) with a round stromal infiltrate and corneal thinning. Furthermore, a central corneal ulcer positive with staining at cobalt-blue filtered light was highlighted. Intraocular pressures were within the normal limits. The anterior chamber was quiescent, and the pupil was round and reactive. After 10 days of therapy with Ozodrop® 4 times a day, corneal involvement was more circumscribed (Fig. 12), signs of staining were satisfactorily resolved, and there was significant reduction of photophobia and glare symptoms.
Image: https://karger.com/view-large/figure/7511220/000488846_f11.jpg
Fig. 11. Left eye of a 71-year-old man before starting the treatment. Note stromal keratitis and corneal ulcer
Image: https://karger.com/view-large/figure/7511221/000488846_f12.jpg
Fig. 12. Same eye of Figure 11 after 10 days of therapy. Resolution of corneal ulcer with negative staining.
Anchor Discussion
Conjunctivitis in horses represents a therapeutic challenge because it requires different active principles to be administered, almost never present a single eye drop, and the horses tend to get uncooperative in a short time, so the veterinarian often has to resort to alternative methods of treatment (i.e., subpalpebral lavage systems “spraying”). In this case of recurrent conjunctivitis secondary to retrobulbar lesion, the ozone-based eye drops were effective in solving the problem. The frequency of 3 times daily was well tolerated by the animal that showed good compliance with the treatment and long-lasting therapy results. Conjunctivitis in cats represents a common problem and traditional therapy involves the use of topical antibiotics and NSAIDs, and in some cases even systemic. In this case the ozone-based eye drops were able to reduce the congestion of conjunctiva in 10 days of application. Moreover, after only 3 days of treatment Enterococcus spp. was no longer detected and the total bacteria count had decreased to levels considered normal in cats. Entropion represents a common problem in brachycephalic dogs and the cornea is often affected by entropion-related changes such as erosion/ulceration, inflammation, neovascularization, and pigmentation. Entropion management is usually surgical and requires general anesthesia. In cases such as the present one, where surgery could not be quickly performed, ozone-based eye drops were able to reduce the discomfort of the dog and improve corneal health, despite the persistence of an underlying cause (mechanical clutch of the hairs of the lids on the cornea).
Human microbial keratitis is an ophthalmic public health problem, being one of the leading causes of blindness and visual impairment with significant economic consequences all over the world. Risk factors such as wearing contact lenses, trauma, intraocular surgery, ocular surface disease, and systemic diseases may promote the microorganism adhesion and the infection. In recent years the increasing number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has motivated prospective research towards the discovery of new antimicrobial strategies. The literature shows that collagen cross-linking (CXL) may be an alternative treatment for refractory cases of human HSV and bacterial keratitis. Reactive oxygen species produced by CXL can eliminate or suppress the proliferation of pathogens through the destruction of the nucleic acids [11]. Recent findings support that CXL could be an acceptable complementary method for the treatment of infectious keratitis [12]. Due to its great oxidative power, the ozone molecule, stabilized for topical use, can be a viable alternative and an easier approach. Our experience seems to confirm the safety and effectiveness of such therapy with no side effects.
This preliminary in vivo study has demonstrated that ozone-based eye drops have an anti-inflammatory and bactericidal activity, in addition to promoting tissue repair. All of these beneficial and therapeutic effects are contained in a unique ocular preparation, reducing the risk of noncooperation of patients in receiving medications. Ozone-based eye drops are very attractive due to their versatility and to various potential uses in ophthalmology.
In conclusion, from our preliminary results, ozone-based eye drops represent a valid and suitable alternative therapy for the management of external ocular pathologies in both animals and humans. Furthermore, given their antimicrobial properties, ozone-based eye drops could be used as an aid for the preparation for intra- and extraocular surgical procedures (i.e., cataract surgery or intravitreal injection). However, more studies are needed to confirm these data.
