Take Care Of Your Eyes With Natural Solutions
Degenerative eye diseases are the business of specialists, naturopathy can only act in the prevention of small everyday ailments: excessive tearing, dry eyes, irritations, small inflammations, etc. The eyes are indeed such fragile organs that it can sometimes seem tricky to take care of them. However, natural and gentle solutions exist. Here are a few tips by JLR Eye Hospital!
On a daily basis: prevention
To avoid small eye inflammations (chalazion, stye, blepharitis, even conjunctivitis, etc.) and to preserve your vision, you need good hygiene habits, good hydration and a good diet.
Good habits to adopt
- Remember to protect your eyes in the event of wind, and dust, with
- well-covering glasses
- Avoid rubbing your eyes with soiled hands.
- Drink enough
- It is also necessary for the prevention of food favourable to immunity and the preservation of vision, that is to say rich:
- In omega 3, mainly in the DHA form (sardines, herring, mackerel, tuna, salmon, Cod liver) ;
- Vitamin A, which is found in butter, fish liver, egg yolk, in beta-carotene form in yellow, orange, and red vegetables (carrot, tomato, red pepper, sweet potato, melon, mango, apricot…);
- In vitamin B2, with brewer’s yeast, offal (organic), and whole grains…;
in vitamin E, thanks to rapeseed oil, olive oil, wheat germ, almonds, walnuts, and pistachios…; - In lutein, opt for green leafy vegetables (kale, spinach, sorrel, Swiss chard, Brussels sprouts), egg yolk, sweet potatoes, corn, and asparagus…;
- In antioxidants (flavonoids and anthocyanins) such as blueberries, grapes…;
- Zinc with whole grains, brewer’s yeast, herring, offal (organic), and eggs.
The cures
If you feel dry eyes, blink your eyes regularly to moisten them. On the contrary, in the event of excessive tearing (most of the time, a consequence of dry eye that the eye seeks to compensate for), apply compresses of warm water to the eyes for at least 5 minutes (renew regularly so that they remain lukewarm) then gently massage your upper and lower eyelids for about 1 minute. As often as necessary, but at least morning and evening.
On the other hand, despite the fragility of the area, many plants that can be found in herbalism possible to accompany temporary irritations or inflammations can be cure from mainly:
- Cornflower
- Roman chamomile
- Eyebright (plant formerly known as “glasses cracker” for its long-known virtues in eye care)
- Sweet clover
- Witch hazel
- Plantain
- Rose
- Marigold
Provided that they are used in a sweet galenic version: infusion or hydrolat.
In infusion
You can prepare a herbal tea from one or other of these plants, or even a mixture, for example Plantain + Sweet Clover + Cornflower. Pour simmering water, leave to infuse covered for 10 minutes, filter and apply cool or warm compresses (even with simple makeup remover cotton pads) soaked in herbal tea to the closed eyelids. Leave it on for 15 minutes. Do not hesitate to renew as often as necessary during the day.
For example, in the case of a stye (painful swelling of a boil on the edge of the eyelid, which most of the time heals naturally by releasing pus), we can promote its disappearance by applying these hot compresses soaked in herbal tea ( that we renew so that they remain warm) on the closed eyelids, and this at least 3 to 4 times a day. Do not confuse stye and chalazion for which the treatment with hot compresses will be identical but the chalazion can take several weeks to disappear.
One can also, whatever the evil, practice eye baths with these infusions to relieve irritations: mix Cornflower flowers, Roman Chamomile flowers, Eyebright, Sweet Clover and Rosebuds. Pour simmering water, let this mixture of plants infuse covered for 10 minutes, filter and wash your eyes 3 times a day.
In hydrosol (also called floral water)
Apply a hydrosol (pure, quality, without added preservative) of Cornflower or Roman Chamomile as a compress on the closed eyelids.
These same hydrosols can also be used in eye baths: prepare a mixture of Roman Chamomile hydrosol + Cornflower hydrosol + Rose hydrosol and pour directly into the eye, up to 3 times a day for 3 days.
Finally, eye drops based on spring water and cornflower water, or even eyebright-based, can be obtained in organic stores, herbalists or even para pharmacies, to be applied up to 5 times a day.
If the style is particularly recalcitrant, one can use, for example after the eye bath, colloidal silver eye drops, a very effective antibacterial (in herbalism or organic stores).
A healthy lifestyle is necessary to prevent everyday ailments, and we can always help ourselves, to treat them very effectively, with plants well known for their healing properties. However, if despite the treatment the evil persists for more than 4 days without improvement, you should not hesitate to contact an ophthalmologist.
