Nan (Canada) on 04/30/2023:
Sea Salt for Pink Eye
I concur with the below "salt" posters. By the end of the second day of dipping a clean facecloth in a cup of salt mixed in water and then gently dabbing the corner of my eye 3-4 times a day, the redness, gooey secretion, and itching was 90% gone. Gone completely by the end of the third day.
I was afraid to use salt in my eye, so I started with a 1/2 teaspoon in 1 cup of water and worked my way up to 1 or 1 1/2 teaspoon. I used fine pink Himalayan salt with no iodine. (I'm not sure if using iodine in the salt is okay, too. It probably is okay, but you might want to dab injust a little the first couple of times you try it.)
*I didn't have distilled water on hand, so I used bottled water and boiled it first, then waited until it cooled down somewhat before using.
Rebeccamichelle (San Anselmo, Ca, Usa) on 07/02/2010:
3rd day using sea salt solution for pink eye. Irritation swelling and itching completely gone today.
Rebeccamichelle (San Anselmo, Ca, Usa) on 07/01/2010:
It's day two of using sea salt or 'saline' solution. It's nearly gone now. All of the sclera, the eye muscle and the tear ducts are nearly back to normal size and the itching is only occasional. View Entire Thread
Mel (Katy, Texas) on 07/03/2009:
Sea salt solution cleared and cured my pink eye in 3 days. It did sting but I knew it would. I did this once in the morning and one in the evening. I mixed 1 tablespoon of sea salt to 1 cup of water in a water bottle. Mix well and tilt your head over the sink and squeeze a couple of times times in each eye.
Tristan (Sydney, Australia) on 05/14/2009:
I recently used a sea salt solution to get rid of pink eye; it worked, but now my eyes are always dry, and they get red very easily. Neither the dryness nor the redness (the two are most likely linked) used to happen before I contracted pink eye. Both my eyes were fine.Can anyone tell me what to do about my dry eyes - I would appreciate it very much. Thanks.
EC: Hi Tristan,
Dry Eyes remedies can be found here.
Tristan (Sydney, Australia) on 04/28/2009:
Hi all, I woke up with a mucuousy pink left eye - it seems like it has been building up to it for a week - and was the stickiest this morning. I tried ACV drops (diluted), then switched to sea salt, which seemed more effective (also snorted some through each nostril). The left eye is without discharge now, but it is still very red, and occasionally prickly. Should it have cleared up completely by now? Should I wait for another day? I hope someone can help me as I don't know if I'm just delaying the inevitable or am on the right track. Thanks.
(BTW, The right eye seems to be free of it).
Lucille (SOUTH PASADENA , CA) on 05/26/2008:
I tried all the remedies for pink eye: chamomille tea, green tea, boric acid in the contact lens solution, and finally what worked was the sea salt. I dissolved about 2 teaspoons of sea salt in about 1/2 cup of water and used an eye cup to rinse it around. I did this several times in a day, and it went away. Cured!
MimiRose (Springfield, MO) on 03/22/2008:
I have had a very mild on again off again case of Conjuctivitis for about three years. In the last three months with the cold it had gotten worse. (I moved from southern California to a state that experienced real winters). I hate over the counter medication or chemicals of any kind so I came to my favorite website and read a few of the remedies. I decided on a Sea Salt remedy. I got a 16 oz bottle of spring water, warmed it then added 2 tablespoons of Sea Salt and shook it up. I place a soft folded towel on the bathroom sink slightly over the edge and laid my head on the towel. I slowly poured the mixture into the corner of my eye until I instinctively knew to stop then I did the other eye for good measure. Once I rinsed my face I could feel my sinues very clearly! I was breathing and could FEEL it like I have not in a long while. I felt some drainage in the sinues and I guess that is way, not sure but what I do know is that my eye feels better than it has in two months! The thin skin around the eye was breaking. I intend on applying my solution on the hour and the same for the next day if needed but I do not think I will need to. Thanks Earthclinic!
Ria (NYC, NYS) on 03/15/2008:
I had pink eye and cold at the same time. I tried hydrogen Peroxide in ear stuff (3%) in my ears in 10 min also sniffed peroxide into my nose it was painful but I wanted to ged rid of cold completely then gargled with cayenne pepper with camomile tea after I had some of them. 5 hours later no more itchy throat, and I felt much better. For pink eye I tried tea method it was fine and got rid of some of redness but what worked for me was wash it with bottled water and salt. my pink eye got instantly became clear!
Marie (Baton Rouge, LA) on 09/16/2007:
As a child I had a horrible case of conjunctivitis. For over a month, I suffered from home with absolutely no change no matter how much eye drops or medication the doctor's prescribed me. My family finally took our yearly trip to the beach and after a day, my eye infection was completely gone. When we returned and returned to the doctor for a checkup, my pediatrician chuckled and said, oh "You went to the beach, the ocean clears that right up!" My mother could NOT believe it. We surely would have hightailed it to the beach a week into the conjunctivitis had we known! As a result of my month long infection, I had permanent vision damage and had to have membraned PEELED off my eyelids. I am just thankful the beach trip and swimming in the ocean happened when it did, otherwise, I might have had even greater eye damage. I'm lucky I only have to wear glasses/contacts for the rest of my life.
