Home Remedies for Dry Eyes
Dry eyes are an occasional nuisance for some people and a very uncomfortable, debilitating problem for others. Home remedies for dry eyes can alleviate the discomfort and help protect the eye from injury by aiding in the proper lubrication of the eye.
Dry eyes are usually environmental in nature and can be aggravated by looking at a computer or reading for too long without blinking enough, pollution, allergies, dry air or wearing your contacts for too long. That being said, home remedies can help, but avoiding these culprits is also important. Rest your eyes frequently and take your contacts out every few hours, and avoid too much hot air or wind in your face (for instance, aim the vents in your car away from your face).
There are many artificial tears on the market that you can try if your dry eyes are severe, but these can get expensive and may not be needed. For occasional bouts of dry eyes, try these home remedies first.
A warm, wet compress placed over the eyes for about five minutes will activate tear production. The warmth and moisture of a damp washcloth stimulates tear production and opens up the clogged tear ducts.
Cucumber slices straight from the refrigerator are an excellent way to cool the burning, itchy sensation of dry eyes. Just relax with a cool slice of cucumber over each eye and you’ll soon feel better. This home remedy for dry eyes relaxes the muscles around the eyes and stimulates the tear ducts. The scent is also a wonderful aromatherapy relaxation promoter.
If your tear ducts seem clogged or don’t tend to produce enough oil (tears are actually a combination of water, oil and mucous), try filling a small bowl with warm water and adding two or three drops of lavender oil (no more than three drops). Soak two cotton balls in the water and gently press out the excess liquid before placing over your eyes. This will soothe the dryness and the lavender oil will help balance the moisture and oil content of your tears.
Brewing some tea can also help. One of the best home remedies for dry eyes is to simply relax with a wet tea bag over each eye. The tannins in the tea leaves are very therapeutic.
Home Remedy for Dry Eye
If you are frequently bothered by dry, itching and irritated eyes, try taking daily supplements of Omega-3 or flaxseed oil to keep your eyes healthy and lubricated naturally.
Is the air in your home dry because of air conditioning or forced air heat? Then investing in a good humidifier can help alleviate dry eyes. Keeping the moisture balance in your house will not only help get rid of dry eyes, you’ll discover that you don’t have dry, itchy skin as often either.
Finally, if you wake up every day with extremely dry, irritated eyes, you may want to make a visit to the drugstore for some artificial tears salve. This is thicker than liquid artificial tears and will stay on the eyeball longer. Applying the salve will keep the eye lubricated throughout the night so that you wake up feeling fresher.