What are some home treatments for an itchy eye?

I have heard rinsing it with room temperature chamomile tea can give relief. All the best to you.

You should go see your optometrist. Vision is pretty fucking important.

I would use some OTC hydrating drops. If you woke up with your eyelid stuck together and crusty then you most likely need an antibiotic. I like the creams, but most adults like drops.

My eyes get itchy, dry and sticky when my thyroid is under or over and it affects my left eye more, but its still both. It is not like pink eye, which I had a lot as a kid.

If you suspect pinkeye I’d call or go to the doctor and get the meds.

Side note, itchy eyes is a symptom being experienced for Covid now, but since it’s one eye, I doubt that is the problem. Here’s an article, but doesn’t sound like this is what you have. https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2023/05/03/those-itchy-red-watery-eyes-could-be-allergies-they-could-also-be-a-sign-of-covid.html

Edit: From the article it does sound like pink-eye is going around. Classic pink eye is extremely contagious, you probably touched something with the infection and touched your eye.

Like @Hawaii_Jake, I have also heard about chamomile tea being soothing for itchy eyes, and using the teabags as compresses after brewing and refrigerated is also helpful.

My girlfriend who is pretty savvy just looked at it and did see pink eye. I’ll keep an “eye” on it for a few days, try the chamomile and “see” where I’m at by Friday.

Eye agree with your assessment.

^^ I goofed. I meant she did not see pink eye.

My father used to use boric acid drops, after sun and sand irritations.

I can’t say that this will help but it won’t hurt. Try washing your face for several days using Head and Shoulders dandruff shampoo.

(When I was a kid, I’d get this gunk on my eye lashes. My older brother had it, too, and he got rid of his buy using the H&S shampoo.)

^^ Thanks but no gunk luckily!

Artificial tears or saline, warm compresses several times daily. I used to get them as a farm kid fairly often.

Don’t forget to throw out all your eye make-up that could hold the virus.

Cup your hands, fill with warm water, put up to your eye and blink repeatedly.

@KNOWITALL That’s ok. Any eye makeup that I still have has killed the viruses long ago!

Please let us know about this, now I’m worried.

@canidmajor You did see that my friend said she did not see pink eye? And I tested for Covid and it was negative but will let you know if anything develops.

@kritiper, along the same line, I’ve had two eye doctors recommend using “no tears” baby shampoo: just a drop in your palm, plus a drop of water. Massage it into your eyelashes and rinse. It does seem to help with irritation and crustiness.

@janbb, I hope you find relief quickly.

@Jeruba After washing my face just once or twice with the H&S, the crustiness went away and never returned!

Warm (almost hot) compresses are good for some conditions, but cold compresses/flushing are better for others. IIRC, if it’s an infection rather than irritation, viral infections respond to cold, but bacterial infections respond to warm. But maybe I don’t RC, so…

My eyes get itchy some times. When that happens I get relief by hanging my head over the bathroom sink and splash my eyes (one at a time) with cold water.

Never rub your eye with your hand. Use a tissue like “Puff’” or “Kleenex”.

Try baby shampoo.

If its just from allergies, I just put visine allergy eye drops. But the important thing is to rinse your eyes well. Remove all gook and make sure to clean your lashes well. I just use dove soap and warm water, but not in your eye. Just the corner and lashes and eyelids incase its from mites of some sort. Then I put the allergy drops and after that I put Witch Hazel on a cotton pad and lay down for at least 15 minutes with the pad over my closed eyes. Be sure to close your eyes well. The Witch Hazel is great for tired eyes and puffy bags under eyes as well, but most of all if your eyes are read it helps to calm them down and help your eyes to feel rested and refreshed.

@janbb Are you feeling better? Did the itch stop?

@JLeslie No – it hasn’t. I am hoping to talk to my optometrist today although I think it’s probably allergies. My eye doesn’t look inflamed.

I thought it was just one eye, so that’s why I didn’t think it was allergies.

You could try an antihistamine to see if it helps (assuming you don’t have any negative side effects to those drugs).

Hoping you get relief soon.

^^ I’m seeing the optometrist today at 4.

Is your eye red, @janbb? Some people I know who have bad allergies this time of year get really red eyes, and itchy too.

@jca2 No – that’s what’s odd. No visible difference between the two.

Great that the doc squeezed you in. Yeah, better not to drug up when you go to see the doctor. You don’t want the symptoms artificially reduced.

Update: She did a pretty thorough mini-exam. It’s allergies and she found some gunk in both eyes. Gave me a coupon for allergy eye drops.

Glad that’s dealt with!

^^ Thanks!

Hopefully whatever you are allergic to isn’t around very long.

Agree with @JLeslie – might have to “un-dust” the furniture and change your sheets and pillowcases. Also, un-dust your floors and carpets. That strategy works for my allergies.

@RocketGuy Thanks but this is seasonal allergies – seems to be coming from everything blowing off the trees.

Tons of pollen get into our house because the dog keeps going outside, then comes in and jumps onto our furniture. When my allergies act up I do my un-dusting routine, which helps for about a week then I have to do it again.

How do you UNdust @RocketGuy?

My kids used to read that old series: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelia_Bedelia She was a maid who took every request literally. When asked to dust the furniture, she gathered a bunch of dust and put it onto the furniture. When her employers came home to dust covered furniture she told them that they should have told her to undust it, since that is what they actually wanted. The series was used to teach common figures of speech.

Ah! I C!