10 Natural Pink Eye Remedies for Fast Relief

Apple Cider Vinegar, Coconut Oil, Green Tea

Posted by Sandi (Orange County, Ca) on 09/19/2013
★★★★★

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.

Colloidal Silver

Posted by Dave (Fountain Inn, Sc) on 08/22/2016

Hello Loretta,

10 ppm is fine. I use 50 but 10 would work. Don't use for more than two days in a week.

Colloidal Silver

Posted by Susan (Los Angeles, CA) on 10/27/2022
★★★★★

I use CS with 500 PPM- I use 10 drops in a coffee cup filled with distilled water, cover with foil and store in the refrigerator. It feels better on my eyes with cold drops. Then I just use one or two drops 2 or 3 times a day when I get that gritty feeling that something is not right. That dilutes it well and only a tiny bit of stinging, not painful.

Tea, Lemon Juice

Posted by Asha (London, Uk) on 06/12/2012
★★★★★

Had full on infection red pain & swelling. Washed it out with strong green & black tea. Used fresh lemon juice too worked great to get rid of infection diluted but strong straight into the eyes with sterile cotton, only stung shortly. used this along with camomile tea bags soaked in warm green tea left on for 10-15 min 4 x day.

Colloidal Silver

Posted by April (Quakertown, Pa, Usa) on 04/27/2012
★★★★★

I would like to add another "YEA" to using colloidal silver for pink eye.

I contracted pink eye from someone at work. I had leftover antibiotic eye drops, but I have been trying to get over candida overgrowth and C. Diff, and therefore I am no fan of them. I went on EarthClinic and found a number of people had tried colloidal silver for pink eye. I had some left over from when I was sick a few months ago, so I thought I'd give it a try. I applied one drop every 2 or so hours all day on Day 1. It is now Day 2, and it is almost completely gone! Thanks!

Castor Oil

Posted by Jennywren (Perth, Western Australia, Australia) on 02/23/2012
★☆☆☆☆

NAY. Hi there! I've been playing around with castor oil for a couple of weeks to test it out - rubbing it on my face to try and reduce age spots, using it as a scalp treatment for my thin hair and wiping it on my eyelashes to see if they'll grow thicker and longer. For my face and eyes, I rub the castor oil (cold-pressed) over my face and eyes every evening and then go to bed.

Last night I woke up with my eyelashes gummed together and my eyes seeping and red raw. I was seeing my GP today anyway to check my thyroid, and he asked me what I'd done to my eyes. I told him (embarassing! ) and he said that castor oil should never be put in the eyes as it has a really high pH or some such and he checked my eyes for nerve damage. On doing some research, apparently castor oil contains a natural toxin called ricin that can cause conjunctivitis. Anyway, that's how castor oil has affected me so far..!

Castor Oil

Posted by Samantha (New York, Ny) on 10/28/2016

Jennywren, it's possible the castor oil actually drew out the symptoms from a virus or bacteria that was already in your eye, but luckily, there are many, other natural solutions here for you to try so that you don't have to use the castor oil again.

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.

Colloidal Silver

Posted by Lattelisa (Shelton, Wa) on 08/03/2011
★★★★★

I kept sleeping with my contacts for weeks and noticed my eyes getting a little more uncomfortable everyday, but this morning they were gooping pus, red, and tearing. I decided to throw out my contacts and take it easy today.

First thing I did was use a drop of colloidal silver, it felt slightly gritty for the first 10 seconds or so, but then felt wonderful afterwards. I continued to add more drops since it finally made my eyes feel better, and then another drop every hour so so afterwards.

At noon I also put warm and then cool Earl Grey tea bags over my eyes this afternoon and put a tiny bid of neosporin around the rims of my eyes and wiped the remainder away.

This afternoon I was able to put a new pair of contacts in my eyes and they really feel wonderful. I think the colloidal silver worked the best though. Every time I put another drop in my eye, it just felt so much better.

Reader Feedback

Posted by Diane (Los Angeles, California Usa) on 06/30/2011

When my daughter was 12 years old she woke up with what I thought was pink eye in both eyes. The pink eye would not go away no matter what I tried and finally I took her to a local doctor that took a test and told me she only had pink eye and not to worry. HE WAS WRONG! Well the pink eye would not go away and she also began having problems with her leg muscles. One night we took her to an emergency room and the doctor there made an appointment for us about her pink eye.

Seems that her body was attacking itself and the pink eye was actually her body attacking her retinas!

Doctors at Loma Linda had a round table discussion and could not figure out what was causing her problem. To save her eyes the doctors used steroids in her eyes and eventually the problem stopped but not before eating away at her retinas! If you look at her eyes with a professionals equipment my daughter's retina's look square!

So be very careful about any member of your family having pink eye. If the pink eye refuses to go away see an ophthalmologist.

Thank God what my daughter had was pretty rare.

Neosporin

Posted by Wendy D (Houston, Tx) on 05/06/2011
★★★★★

The last two times I've had pink eye, I've used regular neosporin found at the drug store. I use a q-tip to apply it at the corners of my eye and on the lids like you would eyeliner. Do this once in the morning and before you go to bed. This has cleared it up very quickly.

Neosporin contains antibiotic ingredients that will take care of the bacterial pink eye.

Warning: Do be sure you aren't allergic to neoporin. Apply a small amount to your inner arm for a couple of hours. If no redness shows up, you should be good to go. My husband is allergic to it and it causes severe redness and swelling on his skin.

Colloidal Silver

Posted by Sheila (San Diego, Ca, Usa) on 05/04/2011
★★★★★

I've had pink eye 3 times in my life. What worked the best was colloidal silver. One drop in each eye every 4-6 hours; no touching or rubbing the eye(s); washing hands and washing anything that had touched my face (towels, pillow case, etc. ), and depending on the severity, the pink eye cleared up within 24 hours to 3-4 days. It's also important to be sure and sleep on your back. If you lie on the side that is not infected and a tear travels from the infected eye, over the bridge of your nose, and some how makes contact with your good eye, then you'll wake up with 2 pink eyes. I know, since it happened to me. : (

Now if I feel any discomfort in my eyes and suspect pink eye, I'll quickly use the silver. The Santa Ana winds in So California is the worst time for pink eye. Wear sunglasses if the winds are blowing.

Boric Acid

Posted by Madelyn (Idaho) on 03/12/2024
★★★★★

Thanks for the clarification, Rob!

I made up a batch of the drops and used them a couple of times before my son went to bed. His eyes are already looking better. I'm grateful to have this remedy on hand.

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!

Colloidal Silver

Posted by Kate (Henderson, Nv,usa) on 12/15/2010
★★★★★

I had a developing pink eye last Friday noticed by my manager, at the same time I was starting to not feel too well. When I got home, my husband had me put a soaked hot cloth on my eye for 15 minutes, later washed it with cloth with baby shampoo and water, then finally washed it with just plain water. I searched on the internet for added information and saw the silver colloidal mineral testimony so I did it also by using q-tip since we don't have available spray bottle as suggested. I did the washing one more time the next morning and kept using the silver colloidal mineral using qtip as an eye drop all throughout the day.

By Sunday , it was totally gone-except for my flu. Ever since Friday when I started to noticed I was having sypmtoms of flu I started drinking the Apple Cider Vinegar with water and eat tablespoons of honey which I liked. I love taste of vinegar coz in the Philippines I grew up using it in all my fruits and even drinking it. Anyway, the next day Saturday, on my day off I did it again like morning, afternoon and evening. I never felt weak, I felt strong but I know my body is fighting a flu. The next day Sunday, I kept it going and by the end of the night, it was gone-totally. So thank you earth clinic for your help.

Green Tea Bags

Posted by Jeff (Irvine, Ca) on 01/12/2010
★★★★★

Green Tea Cured Pink Eye

I awakened on Wednesday of last week with a crusty, gooey, left eye that was very red and felt as though my pupil was dilated. I boiled water and steeped a bag of green tea in a 1/2 cup of water for 20 minutes. Once the tea bag was at a comfortable temperature, I put on my eyelid and allowed some tea to drizzle into the eye. I kept the tea bag there for approximately 10 minutes and then repeated the procedure several more times throughout the day. Within 24 hours my eye was completely back to normal. Thanks Earth Clinic for the remedy!

Sea Salt

Posted by Rebeccamichelle (San Anselmo, Ca, Usa) on 07/01/2010
★★★★★

It's day two of using sea salt or 'saline' solution. It's nearly gone now. All of the sclera, the eye muscle and the tear ducts are nearly back to normal size and the itching is only occasional.

Activated Charcoal

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.

Honey, Comfrey, Olive Leaf, Salt

Posted by Siafu (Private, GA) on 03/26/2009
★★★★★

Pink Eye - My Remedy

Hi there. I saw a section concerning pink eye and just wanted to throw in something I learnt a little while ago. I work in a medical facility and conjunctivitis comes around every so often.

I have had this a few times before and they always send you home for it. Well one day I made a mixture:
* About a cup of warm water
* 2 Table spoons of locally procured honey
* A dropper full of Comfrey Extract
* A dropper full of Olive Leaf Extract
* About a teaspoon of salt

I mixed it all together very well and used a dropper to place a few drops into the infected eye as often as I thought about it. All together probably around 10 times or more that day. By the next morning it was all over with.

What I had done was went and got a note and a prescription and decided that if the above had not improved anything within a day or two I would start taking the RX, but that was not necessary.

I've had to do it a second time, but did not add the salt or Comfrey and it still worked. I think it's the honey to be honest. Comfrey is said not to be safe internally, so perhaps not a good idea to squirt into the eye.

Anyway, thought I'd share and hope this is a help to someone.

Colloidal Silver

Posted by Kira (Saratoga, NY) on 12/23/2008
★★★★★

When my eyes get itchy and icky, colloidal silver (CS) works fast. I accidentally left the CS batch brewing for several hours and since the solution was bit yellow I don't ingest but works great topically.

Don't ever put 3% Hydrogen Peroxide in the eyes, I did that by accident. Contact lense used to have a cleaner called AOSEPT (you use with neutralizing disc) and I mistakened it for saline. Aosept was basically 3% H202. It burned so bad and turned eye so red and I kept flushing with water for like 1/2 an hour but no damage. Had it been 35% H202, it probably would have burned the corneal tissue!

But CS in eye is soothing provided you make it right, distilled water, pure silver (at least .999), no salt.