"Pink eye" sounds like a scary term, doesn’t it? But don’t worry, it’s not as serious as it sounds. It really is a very common eye problem that people from all across the globe face from time to time, and is very easily treatable. Please do know that even though there is no specific age at which one gets pink eye, but school children, pre-schoolers, teachers and day care workers are at the maximum risk of catching these diseases, simply because children don’t know how to take care of their conditions and teachers and day care employees have to work closely with children sometimes even without realizing their condition till it’s too late.
Precautions Before Handling Pink Eye
This article will tell you how to get rid of pink eye. But before we get down to that, there are certain important things you need to know.
Keep cleaning your eyes on a regular basis. This is important because the more you clean, the sooner your infection will be over with. When you do so, make sure you wash and sanitize your hands. With a cotton ball, simply wipe away the secretions from your eyes. After you’re done with that, wash and sanitize your hands again.
Never share your personal items like tissues, towels and handkerchiefs with anybody else.
Do not rub your eyes.
Cover your mouth and nose when sneezing.
Avoid wearing contacts for the entire duration of your pink eye. Switch to glasses. If you absolutely must wear contacts, talk to your doctor first.
Do not share your phone with anybody either.
If you swim regularly, then make sure you’re wearing your goggles all the time.
How to Get Rid of Pink Eye
Warm or cold compress
This is a hit and trial method, because you don’t know which method will work for you, which is why you need to try both. Even so, a cold compress works better in getting rid of any swelling that you may be experiencing around your eye or a pink eye due to an allergic reaction. On the other hand, a warm compress works best on a bacterial or viral infection.
For this method, you need a bowl of water (warm or cold), dip a washcloth in it, wring water from it and place it over your eye. Do this at least 10 times, two times a day till you see an improvement in your condition. Make sure that you wash the washcloth or use a new one every time you’re done with your 10 repetitions, otherwise you may never get rid of your infection.
Colloidal silver
In case you didn’t know, silver eye drops are super effective what it comes to how to get rid of pink eye. Even before the advancement of science in the field of medicine, silver was used in ancient ointments and creams to get rid of several medical conditions.
You can easily get these eye drops at any food store near your home. Then take an eye dropper bottle, clean it and pour the liquid in it. Then use it to apply 1-2 drops in your affected eye once a day. You will see remarkable difference within 24 hours.
Antibiotic eye drops
They are usually prescribed in cases of bacterial conjunctivitis, and can only be bought via a doctor’s prescription.
Anti-histamines eye drops
If you have an allergic reaction, then these eye drops are the best bet for you. In case you didn’t know, whenever your body is exposed to allergens, its defense mechanism reacts by releasing histamine, which may sometimes cause an inflammation in your eyes. Thus, anti-histamine eye drops are exactly what you need to alleviate your swelling and pain.
Probiotics
When it comes to treating pink eye at home, nothing comes quite as close to getting rid of it as quickly as probiotics. Not only do they kill the bad bacteria that are spreading the infection in your eye, but also help replace it with good bacteria that actually help getting things back to as they were. You can use eye drops or you can even opt for supplements which have probiotic in them – it’s up to you. However, it’s advised to take the drops if you want to get rid of your pink eye quickly.
OTC Lubricants
Certain mild saline lubricants are available over-the-counter that work by replacing the tears in your eyes. They are helping in getting rid of some, if not all, symptoms of pink eye, and can work in cases of pink eye that are caused by allergy, bacteria, virus, chemical splashes, etc.
Apple cider vinegar
ACV has natural antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties that help it work on how to get rid of pink eye, especially if your pink eye is due to viral or bacterial infections. All you need to do is to take a warm cup of water and add ½ tsp. of ACV to it. Take a cotton ball, dip it in that mixture and clean your eye with it. But be careful, it will sting.
Lemon juice
Now this one should be used as a last resort. All you need to do is squirt a few drops of lemon juice in your eye to treat your pink eye. However, this method is painful because lemon juice stings your eyes like hell. So it really isn’t recommended till you’ve been put into a very desperate situation.
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