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10 Natural Pink Eye Remedies for Fast Relief

| Modified on Oct 16, 2024
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Pink Eye Natural Remedies

Pink eye, also known as viral conjunctivitis, is a common and often irritating eye condition. Fortunately, natural remedies are readily available, cost-effective, and quick to bring relief. These home treatments, ranging from black tea to honey, are simple to use and can alleviate viral and bacterial conjunctivitis symptoms.

Top 10 Natural Remedies for Pink Eye

1. Black Tea

When applied to closed eyes, black tea bags can soothe and treat infected eyes. Steep two tea bags in a small amount of hot water, cool them to body temperature and apply to each eye for 2-5 minutes, several times a day.

2. Chamomile Tea

Chamomile's soothing properties make it ideal for eye infections. Use chamomile tea bags or moistened chamomile flowers wrapped in a paper towel as a compress on the eyes.

3. Green Tea

Like black and chamomile tea, green tea bags can be used as a compress for pink eye relief. Avoid flavored green teas as they may not be suitable for the eyes.

4. Coffee

Fresh, warm black coffee can be an effective remedy. Dip cotton balls in warm coffee and apply to each closed eye.

5. Apple Cider Vinegar

 Mix ¼ teaspoon of raw ACV with ½ cup distilled water and apply the solution to the closed eyes with a cotton ball. This may sting initially but is effective for treating pink eye.

6. Honey

Combine raw honey with warm distilled water and apply a few drops to the eyes. Honey's natural antiviral and antibiotic properties make it an effective remedy.

7. Colloidal Silver

Apply 1 drop of 10 ppm colloidal silver to each eye twice daily for two days, then once daily for the next two days.

8. Coconut Oil

Apply a small amount of cold-pressed coconut oil to each closed eye twice daily for soothing relief.

 9. Castor Oil

Use hexane-free, cold-pressed castor oil. Apply one drop in each eye twice a day. Castor oil can also help thicken eyelashes.

10. Activated Charcoal

Mix activated charcoal powder with distilled water, filter through a coffee filter, and apply a drop to each eye several times daily.

Important Precautions and Additional Tips

  • Always treat both eyes, even if only one shows symptoms.
  • Pink eye is highly contagious, so maintain good hygiene, wash hands frequently, and change pillowcases daily.
  • If discharge accumulates overnight, use a warm washcloth to gently clean the eyes.
  • Continue treatment for at least 24 hours after symptoms subside to prevent relapse.
  • Seek medical advice if symptoms persist or are accompanied by unusual symptoms like fever or visual disturbances.

Natural remedies for pink eye offer a practical alternative to antibiotics, especially for viral conjunctivitis where antibiotics are ineffective. These home treatments not only target the infection but also provide soothing relief. Share your experiences with natural pink eye remedies and continue reading to learn about other effective solutions from our readers.

The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
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Activated Charcoal

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Posted by Buster (Edmonton, Alberta Canada) on 03/31/2009
 ★★★★★

Doctors Agatha and Calvin Thrash in their book "Natural Remedies"

1. Charcoal poultices should be applied overnight. Mix powdered charcoal with water sufficient to make a thick paste and spread it over a piece of flannel or muslin larger than the inflamed area of the eye. Place this over the eye. Cover with a piece of plastic or similar material and hold in place with an ace bandage wrapped lightly around the head. The bandage should not be so tight that it puts pressure on the eyeballs, but it must be snug enough to hold the compress in place overnight. Remove it in the morning, and dispose of the compress in a manner to avoid spreading the infection.

2. Charcoal slurry water eye drops may be used during the day. To make the drops boil one cup of water with one-fourth teaspoon salt (suggest Real Salt, celtic, sea salt as better than table salt) and one teaspoon powdered charcoal. When cool, strain through several layers of cheesecloth. Using a dropper, put four or five drops of the clear fluid in the affected eye every two hours.

An village with 1,000 people in Papua New Guinea had members in most families infected. They found this remedy 10 times more effective than antibiotics. A relative registered nurse suggests this to us family members.

Replied by Holly
(Westminster, Co)
06/26/2013

First time having this and I must say, it is aweful. I have bought the charcoal for the remedies you mention but have two questions.

1. My slurry is not clear. It's still black after several times through the cheesecloth. Is this okay?

2. For the poultices, does the paste wrapped in flannel go directly on the closed eyes? And then the plastic on the otherside, or as a barrier between flannel and eye?

Thank you for your clarification and help.

Replied by Mama To Many
(Middle, Tennessee, Usa)
06/27/2013
★★★★★

Dear Holly, I use a coffee filter to strain my charcoal water. I put 1 t. charcoal in 1/4 cup of filtered water and strain it through a filter. It is gray and may have very tiny particles that are okay. I think cheesecloth would let through particles that are too large. They probably wouldn't be harmful, just irritating.

Also, for the poultice... Your eye is closed. Then paper towel or flannel. Then moistened charcoal. Then the plastic wrap to keep the moisture in. But you probably don't need the plastic wrap unless you are doing this overnight.

For conjunctivitis, we have always just done the filtered charcoal water 3-4 times a day. Children are usually cured in a day and adults in a couple of days. But do it a couple of a times a day for a few days after and always do both eyes to prevent reinfection.

~Mama to Many~

ACV, Green Tea Bags, Honey

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Posted by Severe Pink Eye Sufferer (Winkler, Manitoba, Canada) on 12/07/2015
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I have been in extreme pain due to pink eye for the fourth day. The eyes themselves as well as the lids and skin around the eye are extremely affected. I started on the first day with antibiotic eye drops from the pharmacy. I used these for about a day and a half. It got even worse with these drops, it was so bad that the seeping from my eyes was orange in colour. My eyeballs were dark red... I realized that this was not working and so I bought Visine 8 symptom eye relief drops as well as a Visine antihistamine drop. I used these for the next two days with no relief except that my eyes stopped with the orange/reddish mucus seeping. But the lids and the skin around my eye were still burning with pain and I had huge sacks of liquid forming under my eyes.

I tried cool wash cloths, warm wash cloths and putting a aloe skin softener on but all of these gave me very brief periods of relief.

This morning my eyes were almost completely swollen closed and stuck shut. I was crying because of the pain. I called to speak to a pharmacist but he was not available so that's when I googled home remedies for pink eye. Holy cow am I glad I did!!!

1. First I took a cotton pad and dipped it into Apple Cider Vinegar and pressed them onto the eye so that the ACV ran into my eye. I could feel relief immediately But not for all the symptoms I was having.

2. Then I put green tea bags (which I had boiled in a cup of water and then put them in the freezer to cool) onto each eye and let the liquid run into my eyes. I did this until the tea bags weren't cold anymore. I found this to be a big relief as well.

3. Then I dipped Qtips into liquid honey and put that onto my eyelids and lashes and the skin around my eyes. This helped a lot too. It is now about 2 1/2 hours later and I can feel the sand in the eye and the burning just starting to come back. I will now repeat all three things.

I cannot even express how much this has all helped!! Unbelievable!!!! From going completely crazy in pain to almost pain free in 3 simple steps!! Thanks to everyone who posted on each of these 3 remedies!! I will continue with these remedies and post again in a day or two with the results.

Replied by Ruralady
(Illinois)
11/06/2018
27 posts
★★★★★

This works! I took a makeup remover pad, cut it in half and soaked the half in this wonderful remedy and applied it to my eye for about 10min every 4hrs. I had to do this approx 4 times but I noticed relief after only 2x. Totally gone in one day with NO dr visit/antibiotics. Thanks!

Apple Cider Vinegar, Cabbage Leaves

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Posted by Ellie (Santa Rosa, Ca) on 09/02/2011
 ★★★★★

Hi new friends,

Recently after days of air conditioned air I had a flareup of red eye which I had suffered from greatly in the past. It was progressively worsening.

On last Wed. Evening I was all but bleeding from swollen blood shot eyes. My vison has never been affected except trying to see through the sore, swollen, weeping awful looking stringy mess.

I read what you said Ted, about the body making alkalinity to address acidity. My tears were at 9ph. I tried a 7ph ACV/BS mix and it was soothing but didn't help the swelling.

I started and continue to drink 1 TBSP of ACV in water every 2-3 hours and included celery juice. I added a garlic remedy to it.

I crumpled a cabbage leaf in water for eye wash. It was 7ph and perfectly soothing. The swelling began to decline. I put two cabbage fresh leaves on my eyes under my linen sleep mask for two nights.

They are GETTING WELL. Tonight I went out in public and no one knew my former travail.

ACV and CABBAGE- who knew?

Thank you God and Thank you Ted and new friends

ellie

Apple Cider Vinegar, Coconut Oil, Green Tea

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Posted by Sandi (Orange County, Ca) on 09/19/2013
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I'm so thankful for this site. Last night at 1:30am, I woke up with a sharp stinging inner eyelid and large globs of yellow mucous seeping out of my eye. I found a couple of websites that stated natural remedies, so I combined them all. I boiled a cup of filtered water, steeped loose green tea leaves for 3 minutes, strained it, added about 2 tablespoons of organic ACV with mother, and constantly applied it to my eyes with cotton pads and swabs until I felt like it was a complete rinse. After the rinse, I applied organic coconut oil with a clean cotton swab to both eyes as a moisturizer and a salve. I went to bed at 3:30 with no more sharp pain in my eyes. In the morning, I woke up with very little yellow mucous. I am will repeat this rinse again because I'm only about 90% better, but one of those 3 cures (green tea, ACV, and organic coconut oil), if not all, began the healing of my eye pretty immediately.

Apple Cider Vinegar, Green Tea Bags

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Posted by Pat (Desert Hot Springs, Ca) on 12/26/2015
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Thank you1 Ran to Rite Aid to purchase homeopathic remedy. Once aplied, did not seem to help but aggregated my swollen under eye and began turning black and blue. Remembered I had colloidal silver, applied but after a few application new pain developed and oozing. Finally I remembered EARTH CLINIC...great advise.

Used both the Apple cider vinegar with mother as often as possible with the green tea bag soak for pain. This came on by Christmas Dinner and ended by Day after Christmas lunch. Truly great....keep up the authentic healing!

Baby Shampoo

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Posted by Faye (Banning, California) on 05/19/2007
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When my daughter was young I read in a home remedy book to mix 1 part baby shampoo to 10 parts warm water. Use a cotton ball to clean outside of eye to remove mucus from lashes, then numerous times each day wash eye with same solution, warm is easier on the eye. It worked on my daughter each time. We now use it for the grandchildren when the need arises.

Replied by Erin
(Warrenville, Il)
05/02/2011
★★★★★

Baby shampoo is the best! The trick is to keep using it twice a day until you are sure the pink eye is gone, usually about 3-4 days. I just pour it on my fingertips, lather them up with a bit of water and rub the closed eyes with the shampoo. I always try to open my eyes just a teeny bit so the shampoo can get in there. It doesn't hurt or burn at all. Afterward, rinse well and dry. Sometimes I follow it with coconut oil (usually only at night though) rubbed onto my closed eyes.

Replied by Alana
(Maui, Hi)
03/14/2012
★☆☆☆☆

WARNING!

Warning! Baby shampoo, even the best no tears shampoo, contains SLS, sodium lauryl sulfate. And its HORRIBLE for you, expecially for a child's developing eyes. It can cause permanant eye damage, and liver toxicity. Google it! And spread the word, because they put that stuff in all baby shampoo. IT CAUSES PERMANANT EYE DAMAGE! In baby shampoo. So horrible. Please find another remedy!

Black Tea Bag

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Posted by Believer In Natural Cures (Illinois, Usa) on 11/28/2016
 ★★★★★

Hot Tea Bag for Pink Eye

Howdy all, I have been using Earthclinic cures for 8 years, maybe more. I started with the teabags for pink eye. My children were youngsters then and had frequent pink eye bouts. It seems that its the heat from the tea bag compresses that kills the virus in the eyes. It needs to be hot but you want to be careful about burning the sensitive skin. I use the compresses 5-8x daily and use a new tea bag each time. We havnt had to get a prescription since finding this cure.

Blessings. I have pink eye right now lol and yup hot tea bags are my cure.

Black Tea Bag
Posted by Uvstarbaby (New Jersey) on 04/13/2015
 ★★★★★

Editor's Choice

I woke up a couple of days ago with a case of pink eye that had come on board during another infection, involving sore throat, dry cough, raspy voice, body aches. It mainly affected my right eye, but some in the left, too. Really red, with profuse slimy discharge. I let it go a day to see if it would clear up, but it was just getting worse.

Suddenly, a light bulb came on to check EarthClinic for some remedies. At first I tried ACV mixed with water, which burned and seemed worse after a few hours. Then I tried colloidal silver, which gave no improvement after several hours. Then I tried organic peony white tea (because it's a type of green tea - young leaves), with no effect and it seemed even worse again. FINALLY, I tried black tea, the round tea bags, and there was almost instant relief and some clearing of redness over a few hours.

After the second application last night before bed, today it's gone in my left eye and practically gone in my right eye. I just did another application on both eyes and will likely do a couple more, to ensure it stays gone. It was easy and painless. Just like making a cup of tea, only I put the cooled teabag on my right eye, after squeezing some drops from it into my left. For subsequent applications, I used the cold tea in the cup, with clean cotton balls, squeezing drops in each eye, and cleaning my eyelashes and surrounding eye area with the tea soaked cotton balls. I'm grateful and my vision is still good--maybe a touch better. :) Thank you EarthClinic and everyone who has posted their experience here in order to help others. It worked!

Black Tea Bag
Posted by Sonia (London, Uk) on 04/04/2014
 ★★★★★

Thank you so much for the black teabag remedy for pink eye. It has helped me so much. I simply boiled a tea bag in some water let it cool until it was warmish. Put a Cotton wool in it and cleaned my sons eye with it about every hour until the redness reduced in both eyes. And it's working so well. He's almost 2 and I needed something quick and natural to soothe his eyes. Thank you!!

Black Tea Bag
Posted by Mikethedruid (Providence, Rhode Island, Usa) on 10/04/2012
 ★★★★★

For several days my left eye had been irritated and discharging a sticky mucus which coated the lashes, and only made the irritation worse. I had tried just rinsing the eye well with warm water, which provided temporary relief, but did not cure the problem. Then I remembered something that the man who taught me the old ways had taught me about medicine, and tried using strong tea as an eyewash. The easiest way, he had told me, was to brew yourself a cup of tea using a cheap regular black or brown tea. When the cup is brewed, take out the teabag, but do not squeeze the water out. While you enjoy your tea, let the teabag cool down until it is just barely warm, then place the teabag on the afflicted eye, and gently squeeze it whill slightly blinking the eye so that the tea gets right onto the eyeball itself, as well as the lids. Wipe the excess that runs down your face with a paper towel or cloth. Do this every time it feels at all irritated, and in a day or two the problem will clear up. I did exactly that, and it works very well. It is a cheap, painless, and effective cure.

Black Tea Bag
Posted by Chef (San Diego, California) on 05/07/2012
 ★☆☆☆☆

I was diagnosed with conjunctivitis and was not responding to antibiotics. I read the post and Black teabags made my eye worse. I actually ended up developing an ulcer on my cornea and I am now using vigamox. Vigamox works.

Black Tea Bag
Posted by Morningstar (Winter Springs, Fl) on 04/11/2012
 ★★★★★

The Day before yesterday I got into a car accident and was in an orthopedic office all day taking xrays. A few hours later my eyes began to itch, I thought it was just allergies, but then I woke up My left eye was goopy and red and my right eye was plastered shut. The top eyelid on the right was swollen as well. I figured.... Crap, its conjunctivitis. Seeing that I was just sitting in a doctors office all day monday, and I don't have insurance, I did not want to go into a walk in clinic. I took a look at the natural cures on here and decided to go with the black tea because I manage to choke apple cider vinegar down for various health benifits, but I cannot imagine putting it in my eye. I heated a cup of water up on the stove and put the black tea bag into it and let it soak for a few minutes... Then I added a few ice cubes to cool it down. I took a paper towel (we use all natural ones with no dyes or anything) and ripped a corner off and soaked it in the tea. I wiped the top eyelid a few times on each eye, then the bottom lid, then I resoaked in the tea and squeezed some of the liquid into the corner of my eye, tilted my head and blinked.

Not only did it get rid of the stickyness, but after doing that 4 times within the hour the swelling in my eyelid went down completely. I went out to run errands for a few hours, then repeated the process. This morning I woke up and took a look at my eyes and they looked fine. Just to be sure, I did it one more time before work and my eyes are crystal clear, and the redness and itchyness went away. :) Im very excited that this remedy works. This is much less expensive then a trip to the walk in, and the medicine they give you makes your vision blurry for awhile anyway. With the tea, you just sort of drip in it and get on with your life. Who would have known, just wonderful!

Black Tea Bag
Posted by Jamie (Los Angeles, Ca) on 03/22/2012
 ★★★★★

I had what I suspect is a mild case of pink eye in both eyes (uurrg), as I have been getting over a chest cold (double uurrgg! ). I am not 100% sure it was pink eye but I woke up for the past couple days with crusty, slightly goopy eyes that were bloodshot soooo... I'm guessing that's what it is. I am so happy I found this remedy.

I used white tea bags first because that's all I had. Brewed 2 together for about 15 minutes, cooled it down then used the bags as compresses and smooshed them around my eye lids gently and dripped some tea in there, as suggested. I felt the soothing effect immediately and the redness went down a bit. I found some black tea and have now twice dripped some of that (after brewing and cooling a bit) into my eye over the course of the day, and it's really working! My eyes feel calmer and more lubricated, and the redness has gone down. Yay. Still a bit itchy but I will keep doing this until they heal. It obviously helps. THANKS!

Black Tea Bag
Posted by Tangible (Brewer, Maine) on 12/11/2011
 ★★★★★

I have used black tea bags for pink eye since my grandfather taught me that as a child.

Black Tea Bag
Posted by Bravebird (Afton, Va) on 02/25/2011
 ★★★★★

Black Teabags worked great for us! I was putting breastmilk in my son's pinkeye, which normally clears it right up. This time, his eye was actually getting worse instead of better. So I came on here, and decided to try the black tea. I brewed a cup and dripped it lukewarm into his eye. An hour later it was looking better than it had in two days. Put more drops in, and an hour after that there is no pink at all left in the eye-whites, and no more discharge. I'll do another treatment before bed just to keep up with it, but the improvement is truly amazing!


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