How to Cure Dry Eye Naturally? Home Remedies

Our eyes need tears so that they can stay comfortable. New tears produced in the glands around the eyes which help to keep the outer layer of the eyes moisturized. Dry eye happens when your eyes don’t produce enough tears which make them dry and uncomfortable. This can also happen due to poor quality tears. If you have dry eyes then your eyes may sting or burn. Dry eye can be a diseases or you may experience this while on an airplane, in an air-conditioned room or while riding a bike. According to NIH Dry eye diseases mostly occurs in older adults aging around 50 or older and this can often be a chronic problem for them. Since the problem is quite common hence the treatment is very much required. Dry eye disease treatments include many methods but this article will mostly focus on how to cure dry eye naturally which means we are going to explain you the methods that can be followed staying at the home to cure the dry eye disease. But before knowing about the methods let’s understand what are the symptoms and causes of dry eyes.

Causes of Dry Eyes

Dry eye can be a result of many causes however aging is the single highest factor among all. Since the production of tears decreases with age hence, dry eye can be a common disease for many older people.

Men and women both can experience dry eye but women who have gone through menopause are more likely to experience this problem.

Since the dry eye disease mostly occurs in older adults hence cataract surgery and dry eyes are correlated. Cataract surgery disrupts the tear film and can cause inflammation and nerve damage which result in dry eye.

Other Causes:

1. Side effects of certain drugs, Cold or allergy medicines.
2. Some diseases such as lupus, Graves’ disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, and Sjogren’s syndrome. These diseases can put an adverse effect on your ability to make tears.
3. Dry indoor environment.
4. Long time reading or looking at the computer screen.
5. Allergic eye disease or inflamed eyelid glands.
6. Nerve damage, long time contact lens use or laser eye surgery.
7. Long time sun exposure.

Symptoms of Dry Eyes

There are many symptoms that can indicate that you have dry eye. When you have dry eye you may feel that something is there in your eye. You may feel a scratchy, gritty or sandy sensation into your eye. Further the symptoms may include dry and burning sensation in your eye. Dry eye and blurred vision are also correlated. If you have dry eye you can have blurred vision. The symptoms may also include:

1. Sensitivity to the light.
2. Red eyes.
3. Feeling uncomfortable while wearing contact lenses.
4. Mucus around your eyes.
5. Watery eyes due to the irritation of dry eyes (never moisturizes the outer layer of the eyes).

The symptoms may worsen with the time if not treated at the right time.

How to Cure Dry Eye Naturally?

There are cases where the medical treatments are highly required. Doctor may prescribe you some medicines or an eye drop which can help your eyes to make more tears. However there are also some ways to cure dry eye naturally. These can help you to manage the dry eye symptoms and ease the scratchy and irritating feelings. Treating dry eyes naturally is the easiest method for dry eye prevention at home. Try these home remedies and enjoy its result.

Warm Compresses

Oil, water, and mucus are the main compound of tears and your eyes need all of these to stay moist and healthy. Inflamed and flaky eyelids clog the oil making glands which leads to dry eye. To help loosen clogged oils you can take a clean washcloth and soak it to the warm water, wring it out and place it on your closed eye for a minute. Press your eyelid with your finger to squeeze out the clogged oils. This warm compresses should be done frequently every day. This can help loosen up the clogged oil in the eye gland and regularize the flow of moisture into the eye. This helps in reducing the inflammation of the eyelid, irritation and scratchy feeling.

Limit Screen Time

If you want to cure dry eye naturally then you need to limit your screen time. An average person while not staring at the screen blinks 12 times in a minute whereas the person blinks only 5 times when using a laptop or mobile phone. Wide open eyes for a longer period of time are more prone to dryness.

Taking frequent breaks or reducing screen time can help reduce the symptoms of dry eyes. The 20/20 rule can be the best method to follow for this. The rule says, close your eyes in every 20 minutes for 20 seconds.

Try to Blink More

When you blink more, you keep your eyes more moist. This can help you control the symptoms of dry eye caused by excessive screen time. Frequent blinking controls your eyes from becoming dry.

Massage

Eye massage is the best for alleviating tension, relaxing muscles and improving blood flow. Massaging the areas surrounding your eye can help encourage tear production.

Eat Oily Fish

Eating oily fish is one of the best remedies for dry eye. Oily fishes such as salmon and tuna, trout, sardines and mackerel can help you in controlling the symptoms of dry eyes. These fishes contain omega-3 fatty acids that help the oil making glands to work better and ease irritation in the eye. It helps to reduce eye inflammation as well.

Cover Your Eyes

Protect your eyes from dry and windy environments. Here, wearing wraparound sunglasses can be helpful. Buy a humidifier for your home/room to add moisture to the air around you. Avoid blowing air from the air conditioner or fan toward your eyes.

Avoid Smoking Cigarette

Cigarettes can irritate dry eyes and put an adverse effect on our tear quality. Cigarettes contain 7,000 plus chemicals which can significantly increase the risk of developing dry eyes.

Eye Drops

If you want to treat your dry eye diseases at home then using eye drop is one of the best remedies for dry eyes. Lubricating eye drops which are also called artificial tears can be a solution for you. This can provide you relief from dry eye caused by exhaustion or dry climate. These drops provide moisture to the eyes and regular use can help you to reduce the symptoms of dry eyes.

Stay Hydrated

Every part of our body requires water including our eyes. Drinking enough water helps you to produce enough tears to combat dry eyes. Instead of waiting until you’re thirsty it is better to drink water more frequently. It is recommended to drink 8-10 glasses of water throughout the day. Also eating foods which contain more water can help you to meet the water requirement in your body and may help you to reduce the irritation in eyes caused by dryness. This is one of the best methods to cure dry eye naturally by sitting at home.

Essential Vitamins

Vitamins have a great impact on our ocular health. Deficiency in vitamin D can cause you to develop the symptoms of dry eyes. Vitamin A and B12 are also impotent for our ocular health. Some other vitamins such as Vitamin C, Vitamins B6 and B9, Riboflavin, Niacin, Lutein and Zeaxanthin are also essential for our ocular health. So including them into your diet can help you to cure dry eye symptoms without visiting the doctor.

Dry eye diseases can be effective and it can affect your vision too. This can take a toll on your mental health, emotions and daily life/activities. There are many medicines available in the market but it is always better to take precaution and apply home remedies at its early stage which may help you to cure dry eye naturally. The above-mentioned home remedies are the best remedies for dry eyes but if the situation deteriorates or the dryness is caused by the side effect of any medicine or due to some other medical conditions then you should consult with your ophthalmologist ASAP.

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