[toc]You may have heard about people who don’t tend to shed a tear when watching romantic flicks like ‘P.S I love you’ or are not even teary eyed when seeing a campaign on hungry children by WHO. Now don’t judge them by their tears because they are suffering from dry eyes. A lot of people don’t really consider this a serious medical condition, but it sure is tough on those who suffer from it.
Tears are made of some oils that provides lubrication along with antibodies, water and mucus. When the glands, which produce tears, stop working, dry eyes occur. This means lot of itchiness, burning sensation and even redness. But there are home remedies available for this, which can help-
7 Dry Eyes Home Remedies
Lavender Oil
The oil of lavender is known to produce vapors, which helps in preserving moisture in the surface area of the eye. All that you have to do here is simply mix some lavender oil with a bit of water. About 3 drops of oil with about half a cup of water should do the trick.
Then soak a couple of cotton balls in this water and let them rest on the eyes. This should be done for about ten minutes and it is advised that you lie down while doing the same. This helps in reducing dry eye symptoms, while treating the problem too.
Chamomile Tea
Another quick remedy here is chamomile tea, which has various kinds of anti inflammation agents in its leaves. These leaves too release oils, which helps to treat the problem of dry eyes. Over here, you can simply soak a couple of tea bags or about two spoons of the leaves of the tea in hot water.
Let it rest for about a couple of minutes. As the mixture cools down, you can dip cotton balls in the same. Then rest on the eyes, like the lavender oil treatment and relax. You can also try drinking the hot tea, because it helps in better sleep, which means faster recovery, if the cause of dry eyes is temporary.
Castor Oil
It has been seen that castor oil tends to increase the moisture levels in the eyes and reduces other symptoms connected with dry eyes. Inflammation can be reduced drastically with castor oil.
Over here, you need to take a medical dropper, available at drug stores. Make sure it is clean and hygienic. Then dip the same in the oil and rub it gently over the eyelids. This helps in treating the irritation, which follows dry eyes and also moistens the eyes.
Fennel
Seeds of fennel and fresh fennel can be used for providing respite to eyes, which are dry and need moisture. This natural mixture can be prepared by heating about a spoon of dried fennel in a cup of water. If using fresh fennel, you can use about 3-4 spoons of the chopped fennel.
Bring the mixture to a boil and then let it cool. Again, using cotton pads or balls, you can apply the mixture to the eyes. Relax with the pads on for about 20 minutes and then remove the pads. You don’t need to wash the eyes post the treatment.
Cucumber
The cooling effect of the cucumber slices is known for centuries. It has been used as a beauty treatment and is a great remedy for dry eyes. All that you have to do is take a couple of slices of fresh cucumber and then simply relax.
You can also grate some cucumber and rest on the eyes for about 15 minutes. Even the juice of fresh cucumber can be used in this reference. The high water content in the vegetable provides instant respite from dry eyes.
Humidifier
Dryness of the eyes can also be blamed on external factors, like the indoor heating system that you use. In this reference, keep a cold humidifier next to the bed and this will prevent the eyes from drying out very fast. It will also treat the issue of dry eyes in the long run.
As a rule of thumb, do use sunglasses when you step out during extreme climatic changes like heat or cold, because the change in the environment too leads to dry eyes. Doing so prevents the same.
Compress
A luke warm compress also helps in providing moisture to the dry eyes. Over here you need to take a clean and soft cloth, which should be washed hygienically. Then soak it in warm or luke warm water and wring out excess water. Apply the same over the eyes and help the water moisten the same.
