Conjunctivitis - Home Remedies

and Martina Feichter, medical editor and biologist

Hanna Rutkowski is a freelance writer for the medical team.

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Martina Feichter studied biology with an elective subject pharmacy in Innsbruck and also immersed herself in the world of medicinal plants. From there it was not far to other medical topics that still captivate her to this day. She trained as a journalist at the Axel Springer Academy in Hamburg and has been working for since 2007 - first as an editor and since 2012 as a freelance writer.

More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.

For conjunctivitis, home remedies can relieve symptoms and aid the healing process. But first you should always see an ophthalmologist so that he can determine the cause and extent of the inflammation and, if necessary, prescribe any necessary medication. Otherwise there is a risk of serious damage to the eye! Read here which home remedies you can use to help with conjunctivitis!

ICD codes for this disease: ICD codes are internationally recognized codes for medical diagnoses. They can be found, for example, in doctor's letters or on certificates of incapacity for work. B30H10H13

Conjunctivitis - home remedies: cottage cheese

Some people rely on cold quark toppings for conjunctivitis. The old home remedy has a cooling, decongestant and anti-inflammatory effect. How to make a quark topper:

• Dip a clean cotton cloth (e.g. kitchen towel) in cool water and then wring it out.
• Now spread quark (from the fridge) thickly in the middle of the cloth - on an area that is sufficient to cover the closed eye later.
• Now fold the ends of the cloth into a package.
• You then place this quark overlay on the closed eye, with the quark side only simply covered.
• Leave the quark pad on your eyes as long as it is pleasantly cold or the quark has dried.

Do not apply the curd directly to the eye. The mass can easily penetrate the eye and make the conjunctivitis worse. In addition, the quark dries and hardens on the skin and hair (brows, eyelashes) and is then difficult to remove.

Conjunctivitis - Home Remedies: Medicinal Herbs

Herbal medicine (phytotherapy) knows various medicinal plants that can support the healing process in conjunctivitis. The application takes place externally.

Eyebright

The eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis) does not bear its name for nothing: The medicinal plant has traditionally been used for centuries for washes, compresses and eye baths for various eye diseases, including conjunctivitis, eyelid inflammation, stye and overworked, tired eyes. Its healing powers in conjunctivitis have meanwhile been proven in studies: The mildly anti-inflammatory eyebright has proven to be effective and well tolerated in the treatment of conjunctivitis.

How to make an eyebright compress:

• Pour 250 milliliters of boiling water over two teaspoons of eyebright herb (preferably from a pharmacy).
• Cover the infusion for ten minutes and then pour it through a coffee filter (this will also separate small parts of the plant from the infusion).
• Dip a clean cotton handkerchief into the cooled infusion and then squeeze it out.
• Now fold the cloth up and place it on the closed eye for about ten minutes.

Alternatively, you can carefully wipe a sticky eye clean with the soaked, squeezed out cloth.

Read more about the effects and uses of eyebright in the article Euphrasia.

Other medicinal plants

Eye compresses for conjunctivitis cannot only be made with eyebright tea. You can also soak the cotton cloth in a warm infusion of marigold flowers. The marigold has anti-inflammatory ingredients and is therefore generally recommended for external use for skin and mucous membrane inflammation.

Warm or cold infusions made from black tea or oak bark are also suitable for eye compresses for conjunctivitis.

Even if it is often recommended by laypeople: It is better not to use chamomile tea for poultices or compresses on the eyes - among other things because of the allergy potential of this medicinal plant.

Finished preparations

There are now a number of herbal ready-made preparations for the treatment of inflamed, irritated and overstrained eyes, for example eyebright eye drops. Homeopathic and anthroposophic preparations are also available, for example based on eyebright, garden rue (Ruta graveolens) and / or celandine (Chelidonium majus). Your doctor or pharmacist can recommend a preparation suitable for your symptoms and explain how to use it exactly.

Conjunctivitis - Home Remedies: Risks and Limits

You should first discuss the use of any home remedies with a doctor for conjunctivitis.

In addition, you must strictly pay attention to cleanliness and hygiene with all preparations that you want to use on the eyes (washes, compresses, etc.)! Otherwise you could worsen the existing inflammation and / or introduce additional germs into the sensitive eye. Therefore, you should heed the following advice, among others:

• Wash your hands thoroughly before making and using compresses etc.
• The cotton cloth that you use for pads, compresses or washes should be really clean. Or you can use sterile gauze instead.
• Plant infusions for eye washes and compresses must always be freshly prepared.
• Instead of medicinal plants you have collected yourself (e.g. marigolds from the garden), you should use loose medicinal herbs from the pharmacy. These are checked for purity and quality.

Don't forget that home remedies have their limits: if existing eye problems worsen or new ones arise, you must definitely go to the ophthalmologist again. Conjunctivitis complications may have developed. Home remedies are often no longer sufficiently effective and have to be supplemented or replaced by conventional medical treatment measures.

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