Top Natural Remedies for Dry Eyes - Internal and External Applications

..and fish products are not radio active??

Namaste, Om

@Wayne: Good to hear of your success.

If I might add, the dosage of omega 3 EFA you are taking seems very high which would indicate something more needs addressing like inflammation and immunity. Some general detoxes & cleanses would help.

For the moment, to protect & enhance the precious Fish Oils add Selenium and Mixed Tocopherols Vit-E. Also, in cases of severe inflammation when EPA's are insufficient, add the much more powerful esterified EPA Celedrin. Adding these nutrients should reduce the fish oil dosage.

I too suffered from dry eyes for the first time in my life. It was awful as it prevented me from wearing my contact lenses too long and I hate glasses but foremost because my eyes became so dry during the night that they felt awful! In the meanwhile my mouth also started to feel very dry during the night. I really felt like my health was going down hill! Someone here suggested that I be tested for Sjogren's, which frightened me to death but luckily I didn't have it. Then I went to a specialized eye hospital and also an ophtalmologist. They gave me eye creams and that helped but I thought that I would have this problem for the rest of my life! A contact lense specialist advised and sold me two bottles of flaxseed oil. I also changed my contact lenses for the more expensive bi-monthly ones instead of the monthly ones. Little by little I got better but what did I discover now? I had also changed the liquid for my contact lenses and even if it didn't work right away noticeably with the time it did work.

Lately my eyes were a lot better, I don't need any cream during the night and I went back to wearing my lenses every day, even the old monthly ones without a problem but..... My new liquid finished and I went back to the last bottle of my old one (still within the date and hadn't been opened before). Surprise, surprise, right the first time my eyes burned a bit when I put the lenses in and my eyes started to get irritated again as soon as I took the lenses out, especially if I washed my face and rubbed my eyes while drying it. I bought the new liquid again and my eyes are well! Funny enough I had always used cheaper liquids which I always bought at the opticians so one expects the quality to be reasonable. Maybe I was just allergic to this brand.

Bottom line... Never buy several bottle of something you haven't tried! I used two of them, they caused my eyes a lot of problems and the last one I will just throw away! I am thrilled my eyes are normal again and so is my mouth, no more dryness during the night. No idea why it was affecting my mouth too but I could hardly sleep because I would wake up with a very dry mouth and throat. One thing that helped my mouth was to take a bit of Celtic salt instead of water! Weird but true! I also think that due to the problem in my eyes I started to drink more making me even more dehydrated so the more I drank the more problems I had!

Thanks Liz, great advice! My eyes are a lot better, so is the dryness in my throat at night! I have never had an eye operation but all of a sudden my eyes got very dry, especially during the night, so did my mouth and throat. The contact lenses specially prescribed flaxseed oil 3000mg and right now I am also taking EPO and vitamin E. I can stand my contact lenses a lot better again and when I take them off my eyes don't feel so irritated anymore. Maybe next I try the flaxseed and cod liver oil.

Hello Jc: Do you mean application topically on the eyelid with an omega oil? Or oral consumpiton of an omega capsule? Years ago I read in the book "Vita-Nutrients" that Dr Adkins suggested the omegas be taken orally for dry eyes and so I tried two capsules of high quality Omega 3, 6 and 9 daily. It did not help. So I presume, since I was talking about topical application of aloe vera liquid, that you are suggesting the same, but with the Omega. I notice in this section that many people suggest the use of castor oil dropped onto the eyeball. I tried that too, and it was also beneficial.

As for the coffee elimination (or extreme limitation since I cannot completely do without fresh ground once or twice a week), the reduced consumption of coffee goes a long way in reducing the problem of "burning eyes. " Finally, try one teaspoon of baking soda three times daily to deal with systemic (total body) acidic condition. Thus, I have actually recommended four steps to get control of "dry eyes."

1. Eye-lid application of aloe vera liquid. (Buy a really potent brand. ) By the way, sometimes you will actually feel a kind of "grime layer" on the eye lids when you apply the aloe. If so, take a tissue and wipe off and reapply a light coating of aloe vera liquid. (You could use aloe vera gel too but I use the liquid and apply topically and then also drink four or five tablespoons of aloe in addition. Aloe is wonderful for you.)

2. A drop in each eye of castor oil at bedtime.

3. Avoid the acidic drinks and foods; coffee (de-caff too is acidic), too much tomato products, hot peppers etc.

4. Make sure your are alkalized. If your body condition is acidic, you will have all kinds of problems; dry eye, "irritable leg syndrome, " various skin irritations... So use baking soda three times daily/ one teaspoon with each dose until you can "feel" the difference. (You will find more discussion on acidic/alkalizing issues under the section in Ailments (Earth Clinic of course) "Cancer" wherein "Ted from Bangcok" writes quite convincingly.

Hi David, I suppose that with Aloe liquid you mean the juice one drinks? I was thinking about buying it and I will try it soon. As far as the Castor Oil goes my eyes get quite swollen but as I said before I seem to be the only person here with that problem. Even if I use good Castor Oil or so I think! I went to see a contact lenses specialist today, quite informative, and he told me to take omega 3 so I got linseed oil from him right away. He said that Cod liver oil was ok as well. And I really have to clean the ducts every day applying warm tea bags or a cloth and then pressing the oil out of the rim with a q-tip. I have been trying coconut oil on the eye lids so that it goes in a bit at night and my eyes seem to be slightly less dry.

The Omega 3 seems to liquidify the stuff inside the rim of the eye which is not coming out. Anyway, although I am very myopic, which saddens me, he was amazed that he could correct my eyes to 140% (not that I am planning to do it.... ). The fact that he thought that my eyes are actually rather good cheered me up! I have had therapy with a guy specialized in sports eyesight but it never really worked. I guess that he is very technical and I am very hands on so this guy I saw today is now going to try to find me an address where I could go, have my problem properly tested and could get a program to follow at home. They don't do this kind of thing in the Eye Hospital... of course....

By the way, I do eat a lot of tomatoes and try to incorporate quite a bit of cayenne pepper in my food. A while ago I also tried a suggestion given here to take 20 drops of tabasco in a glass of water for a week. My dry eyes and mouth have steadily been getting worse but I don't remember anymore if they could be related to the Tabasco protocol. I will cut out the pepper and the tomatoes! The thing is that I am already on a low carbs, low sugar diet so if I keep cutting out more stuff one day I won't eat anything. I have already lost quite a bit of weight and I am not at all a big woman!

Francisca, like you, I am myopic and of a dry constitution in general. I have found that if I take a lick (on the edge of a wet finger) of 2-3 grains of the Gerande salt every time I drink water, somehow, the water "stays in" and moisturises the body better and I don't have to get up as much at night, and dry areas improve.

Mmsg, thanks for your advice. I have that salt at home. I tried to add salt to all the water I drank after reading Dr. Batman's book on water but I found that it didn't really help. But I am going to try it the way you say. My skin is also getting drier so it is worth trying. I too get up quite a few times at night, especially when I don't sleep well or maybe I don't sleep well because of that!

Mmsg, do you lick the salt before you drink the water or afterwards? I forgot to say that in a new I have just read the author, Christopher Vasey, says that if you suffer from extracellular thirst you should drink water with salt, if it is extracellular thirst without salt. Intracellular thirst is much more common though. If you suffer from extracellular thirst and don't take salt things will get worse because of drinking more water. I feel that this is my case because, although I started adding a bit of salt when I started drinking more water I seemed to get more and more thirsty and my eyes and throat started getting drier, it was rather strange. I almost had the feeling that by drinking more because I thought that it was good for me I deregulated my body making it need water all the time while feeling rather dry all the same. Stilll the author says that if you get thirsty late at night, which is my case, you have intracellular thirst! Or did it go wrong with me because I had intracellular thirst and started drinking water with a bit of salt? It is a pity he doesn't tell how to recognize both kinds of thirst but I think that the extracellular is when you sweat a lot or urinate a lot, thus because of loss of liquids. Anyway, this is a great book with an awful lot of information: Water Prescription!

Francisca, I wonder if your problems are connected to menopause (dry eyes, dry skin, bladder problems)... Have you tried products that contain herbal estrogen?

Hi Eva, I am 54 but when the doctor checked my hormones a while ago they were hight, so maybe I am just in the pre-menopause. No, I have never tried herbal estrogen, one hears so many bad things about hormones nowadays..... I was planning on reading a few books but I have no idea whether I will be any wiser!

Hi, Francisca, I have been using DMSO & MSM drops for my eyes & can even read without glasses now & my eyes do not pain anymore.

Francisca: I don't know about the extra or intracellular stuff. I lick the salt right BEFORE taking water. It does make a difference for me. Somehow, even if I drink lots of water but without the salt, I get the feeling that the water is not doing anything in me, but with the Gerande salt, it is making me feel as if I am absorbing the water in a better way.

Bonjour Francisca! Your first question on aloe vera, yes, use the kind you drink... A high quality one. The ones you drink that barely taske like aloe would not do much good. Also, having spent a little time lately in southern France, I think I could do well in eating without consuming too much tomato products. Now it might be a different story if you were Italian! But really you can eat about what you want IF you precede the meal with a half/or whole teaspoon of baking soda. Alkalize first, and then eat what you want. But if you do not, and you eat a highly acidic meal (red meat, sugars, hot peppers, tomatoes etc) and then later try to counter the effect with baking soda or alkalized water, then the "base" is trying to catch up with the acid already in the body.

Some other folks who wrote after you recommended various oils for the eyes; one recommended DMSO and MSM. This question to the three or four who wrote to Francisca: Are you applying the oils you recommend on the eye lid or onto the eye ball itself? Especially I'd like to know for the one who uses DMSO and MSM... How do you apply? And in what dose? I use DMSO a LOT for various needs, especially as a solvent/carrier to transport colloidal silver under the skin and into a targeted area where there may be an infection. I use the DMSO to transport Colloidal Silver. For instance, I use it to combat shingles; Bells Palsy. (See my posts on those two. ) But I've never heard of using DMSO directly on the eye and frankly I'd be afraid to do it. Please explain in detail specifics. (Number of drops in relation to MSM; frequency etc.)

Lastly, Francisca, not knowing anything about you, but if someone asked me what to do for a general dry skin condition, I'd first suggest a few hot baths infused with Epsom Salts... Magnesium cloride. Try dissolving two cups in hot water on stove. Then pour in tub of water and soak for fifteen minutes. Some dry skin is the result of a lack of magnesium.

Try that every other day for a total of three baths. The magnesium absorbs into the skin and body. This soaking should give you a sense of calm and well being if you indeed need the mineral. Another effect; getting sufficient quantities of magnesium and potassium allows you eat your food with salt (sea salt, of course). I recommend you shower off the salt residue on your body after the soaking bath.

Hi David, thanks for all the information! Although I am not an Italian (I am Portuguese) life without tomatos wouldn't be the same! When you talk about the bicarbonate I suppose you mean dissolved in water? I will try! As far as magnesium Chloride we have Nigari here in France, no Epsom salts. I can take a bath and also drink a bit (not too much because of the awful taste and the diarrhea). I will shower after the bath then.

Actually I now have a theory where my dry eyes and throat (mouth) during the night could come from. In November last year I had a tooth implant done in Switzerland, in what seemed to be a high tech clinic. My problems started around that time, could that be related? I hope someone on this site will maybe have heard of something similar. It happens that my best friend, who has just turned 89 has been having a lot of problems with bridges put in the same clinic and she heard on the German TV that many times nowadays dentists use bad quality metal from China. I also read something similar in a book I have where the author says that the metal used in the implants can cause a lot of health problems. I am now trying to talk to the surgeon but so far he hasn't called me back. My fear is that even if he knows that the problems can be caused by the implant he will never tell me. Actually, I don't even see why he would.... He got a lot of money for it (it was so very expensive.... ) and he won't want any trouble! In the meanwhile I have problems sleeping, even with cream in my eyes I wake up with gritty eyes, have problems with my contact lenses, keep drinking water all night and fear for the health of my eyes and my teeth! I feel utterly miserable.........

I read a while ago about Manuka Honey in the eyes. So far I haven't dared to try but maybe I will! I am desperate! Coconut oil and Castor oil didn't work for me. As you say that some people left more suggestions for me I will have a look as I have been away for a few days.

Thanks Louwrence, I have seen MSM eye drops sold on the Internet but never DMSO drops. I have been thinking about using them but so far I haven't dared as you never know what they are putting in them.

To David.... If you google MSM eye drops you will find a lot of sites selling them!

It is the application of DMSO that is the issue; not the MSM.

Francisca;

Concerning your eye problems; a few weeks back I noticed in one of your posts that you stated that you were still wearing eye-make-up daily, around your eyes. [ I cannot remember which type]

I think that these commercial eye chemicals are the most likely cause for your dry eyes and itchiness. Why don't you give them up for 3 months and see if that cures your eye problems ?

sign me: curious

Thanks for your reply Dud but I think that there is a misunderstanding here! I don't wear eye make up every day, only once in a while if I go out. As I live in the countryside mostly I don't wear any make up, even if I go for a walk and surely not when I stay at home. I do wear contact lenses as often as I put make up on which is once in a while. But of course I can give up make up alltogether and see how it goes, no problem in putting a little line under my eyes to make me look a bit better and nothing else!

Definitely avoid coffee, however I do find that camomile tea works amazing to fix dry eyes.

Glad you found help, I would try to ascertain why those lenses did that especially if you still use the lenses. Otherwise the problem is probably still there and one would have to wonder how long before something different pops up? I suggest this from experience and would not want to wish that on anyone. Godd luck with it all.

To Marty from Nashville, Tennessee

I would also suggest applying castor oil to your eyes at night before bed. I wrote a thing about it above. I apply two drops in each eye before bed. My eyes never water anymore or sting. The whites are also much much whiter and the blue is much brighter. This happened after about 2 days :)

Elise