Easy method for resolving pinkeye by harnessing the power of probiotics. No meds needed!
Pinkeye, also called conjunctivitis or madras eye, is an extremely contagious bacterial or viral infection. The illness involves the outermost layer of the eye and the inside surface of the eyelid.
It is a common seasonal condition when pollen counts are high, allergies are running rampant, and immunity for most people is very low from moderate to severe vitamin D deficiency. This problem is compounded from being inside all winter out of the vitamin D producing rays of the sun.
Symptoms of Pinkeye
Symptoms of pinkeye include redness, itching, tearing, swelling, and/or mucous production that can firmly cement the eyelids together while sleeping. I remember getting pinkeye as a child and feeling a bit of panic upon waking in the morning and being unable to open one or both eyes!
If this happens to you or a loved one in your home, a warm, wet washcloth compress gently applied to the infected eye (do not rub) quickly dissolves the mucous allowing the eyes to open.
Conjunctivitis is Extremely Contagious
Pinkeye can spread rapidly through a household, which is why action is needed immediately to stop the infection. Most people will quickly run to the doctor’s office at the first sign of redness and irritation.
A prescription for antibiotic eye drops or ointment is the usual conventional remedy. Relief is mercifully quick once the drops are applied. Before the wonderful sensation of relief can be experienced, however, the inconvenience of booking a doctor’s appointment, waiting to be examined, driving to the pharmacy, and getting the prescription filled must be endured.
Additional hassles involve missing work and/or school for the parent and child. Add to this the expense of the visit and filling the prescription which combined could easily total $50 or even more.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to just fix this simple infection at home with none of the intervening steps?
Simple Home Remedy
You’ll be happy to know that pinkeye is one of the simplest and easiest infections to cure at home with no trip to the doctor required. Even better, what you need to fix the problem may already be sitting in your refrigerator. The remedy I’m speaking of harnesses the power of beneficial bacteria to eliminate the infection.
While doctors prescribe ANTI-biotics to kill the pathogens, PRO-biotics work just as well for a minor infection such as pinkeye by crowding them out.
Harness the Power of Probiotics
What you need to remedy pinkeye is a probiotic-rich, non-acidic liquid. For babies and children, the most effective liquid that fits this description is human breastmilk.Â
If the Mom in your household happens to be breastfeeding, a drop or two of breastmilk expressed into a cup and then applied with a clean eyedropper to the infected eye will rapidly and magically eliminate the infection. First milk or colostrum works even faster (note that colostrum supplements do not work).
Reapplication may be necessary every hour for a few hours, but in almost every case, the infection will be gone well before you could have even gotten an appointment to see the doctor. This remedy works well for newborn babies also, so no need for the eyedrops that are used immediately after birth if you plan to breastfeed.
Probiotic Options
If there is no one breastfeeding in your home, the next best thing would be a few drops of raw cow or goat milk applied to each eye.
I recommend treating both eyes even if only one is showing signs of infection, by the way.
Pinkeye is so contagious, that treating only the infected eye will usually result in having to treat the other eye within a short time anyway, so might as well do both from the beginning.
Raw cow or goat milk is loaded with immunity-boosting probiotics, just like human breastmilk. These beneficial bacteria work immediately on contact to crowd out and eliminate the pathogens at the source of the infection.
The probiotic strains in fresh, unprocessed dairy are especially suited for clearing a pinkeye infection.
Reapplication every hour or so should eliminate the infection quickly, perhaps not quite as fast as breastmilk, but still faster by a long shot than getting to the doctor and filling a prescription.
Note that pasteurized or organic store milk also does not work because they contain no probiotics.
Other Sources of Beneficial Microbes
No fresh from the cow dairy easily available where you live?
You can also mix the contents of a probiotic capsule in a few ounces of water and drip a few drops into the eye.
I recommend this baby probiotic brand as it the strain found in breastmilk and has no other additives.
This has been known to work as well.
Frequent Pinkeye May Indicate Nutritional Deficiency
Are you or any members of your family suffering from pinkeye symptoms on a frequent basis? If so, consider adding a cod liver oil supplement to your daily regimen.
This is the brand my family has used since 2015.
Deficiency in vitamin A, one of the most critical vitamins for optimal eye health, can result in frequent pinkeye infections. Incidentally, it also contributes to other illnesses such as croup and night blindness.Â
Unprocessed cod liver oil that is tested free of impurities is the best source of natural Vitamin A.
If the cod liver oil is processed (most brands are), then the Vitamin A is most likely synthetic.
This is because it has been destroyed by heat or chemical processing. Synthetic vitamin A does not have the same benefits for the eyes.
Multivitamins have the same problem. They contain only synthetic vitamin A or beta carotene. Note that beta carotene is not true vitamin A.
It is a precursor that the body must convert to true vitamin A. Many people simply do not make this conversion very well especially if they have any sort of digestive problems.
How Long Until Improvement?
The pinkeye home remedy described in this article should resolve the infection rapidly.
Usually, symptoms improve within hours. After a few applications, the eye should be fine within 24 hours.
If not, the infection may be viral in nature or related to some other underlying condition. Seeing a doctor is recommended at that point.
Works for Pets Too!
Keep in mind that this pinkeye home remedy doesn’t just work for children and adults.
Believe it or not, this home remedy is also safe to use on pets who have any sort of eye-related bacterial issues.
I’ve personally used it on guinea pigs and cats over the years with great success.
People! I can’t believe I am reading some of these suggestions!! Please take “pink eye” seriously. If you live in the states and get to an urgent care which is usually right around the corner, please do that. It’s worth the $30 to have a certified practitioner look at it. Remember, IT CAN BE VIRAL, BACTERIAL, OR EVEN ALLERGIC!! YOU don’t know which one. Antibiotics kill bacteria, not viruses. So, if it is viral pink eye, these home remedies won’t work. there is a test now that can help them diagnose, so go in and ask and let them decide what to do.
I know we all like to play doctor and not spend money, or we think we know better, but don’t mess with your eyes! Just my thoughts and I don’t want to offend anyone, but this can be serious!
I have gone to urgent care many times with pink eye. They have never given me a test and even though I suspect it is usually allergic, they always give me an antibiotic. I would be no better off if it was a virus. They say they cannot tell.
Not true at all. Raw honey, raw milk and many other home remedies kill both bacteria and virus and are not harmful. They especially are not going to add to the growing resistance to antibiotics were seeing more and more of. Western Medicine is run by big pharm and purposely discourages natural holistic/home remedies as they are not profitable for them
where were these antibiotics when our grandparents were around. Some how they survive on these remedies or maybe they didn’t exist back then. Humm. I wonder?
French surgeon Dr. Carl Credé (1819-1892) was the first to proclaim the benefits for using silver nitrate (silver solution) to reduce neonatal eye infections. He was among the first surgeons to use silver nitrate (silver solution) to prevent wound infections.
ask most farmers, they put silver coins in the animals drinking vat to keep the water safe
As a former nurse, and having studied Medicine, I know the usual prescription remedies for eye infections, many of which have side effects. These days I admit I ‘self-medicate’, with my doctor’s permission! I use colloidal silver to treat many infections, including those in the eye. I have found that by spraying colloidal silver into the throat, using one spray in each ear and nostril, and where necessary into the corner of each eye, at the first sign of infection, I have been able to avoid the serious bronchial infections that previously had me sick for weeks. And yes, it is true what @thisfinn says, that silver nitrate was being used in the 19th Century to treat wound infections and neonatal eye infections. It is still being used in most hospitals as a routine measure in the eyes of newborns. I am appalled that here in Australia it is so hard to access natural remedies, and so easy to obtain prescriptions!
Hi Jim, I just had to comment because your post didm;t make sense,
“antibiotics kill bacteria not viruses, so if it is viral pink eye, these home remedies won’t work”
The thing is Jim antibiotics are only useful against bacterial infections and can’t cure viruses either.
I tell you one thing that can though in nearly every case, The human immune system! =) I’m going to try the raw milk, thanks for the article , personally i have only been to the doctor once in about ten years.and that was for a really bad staph infection probably from a spider bite, but i wish id know what i know now about active manuka honey and i might not have needed to go even then. Also people what really IS serious is that if you treat everything with antibiotics they will eventually not work so well for you and can actually make you really sick so just try something natural first eh? Thats my opinion, but we all need to judge for ourselves right?
I’ve been using coconut oil around the eye all day today. Whilst it brought great relief, especially this morning when my eyes were all closed with gunk.. Their still in a bad way. a little while ago I used honey with water trick.. It stung and eyes needed to water it out.. They’re still streaming! These two remedies are not working for me.. Ugh, wish I had bm!! First time having ever had conjunctivitis since I was a child.. Not pleasant.
Silver Solution or Colloidal Silver
Parker Bolton
We use lavender oil on a cotton ball and wipe big circles around the eye… Not in the eye. We also use black tea bags and also out coconut oil around eye…. These all work fantastic.
WOW great info!
Has anyone in this thread ever used colloidal silver sinus spray? How did it work for you?
We use colloidal silver for pink eye. It clears up in a day. Less messy than milk! A couple drops a couple times a day in each eye. 10ppm
I’m glad there are other suggestions other than breast milk!.. My lo one is 10.. Ha. Also pleased to hear those other suggestions have worked!! I don’t know where to get quality raw cows or goats milk from.. Will try the non dairy suggestions.. As that’s what I have at home.. I *think* I have conjunctions.. But using these methods won’t hurt since most are claiming they had instant results?! Yay.
Breast milk is amazing, but if it is not available to you
-Silver Solution- 10 to 30 ppm is your answer, spray it as a mist. (you can also use colloidal silver)
It will work on anything respiratory, eyes, ears, sinus and mouth, inhale as you spray. (every hour)
It will work on viral and bacterial infections.
and it also work on all your pets
Cheers, Finn
Chelsea Groves
My daughter is allergic to milk, can I dissolve probiotics in water and drop them in?
I haven’t seen this. We just went through a round of pink eye this winter. I don’t know, I’d have to be really sure of something I was putting into my eyes.