im using raw honey and im feel better

[peepers]

My eyelids aren't inflammed but the whites of my eyes are.Does anyone think honey might help if i put it in the lid margins? Is it worth a shot as i've tried everything & my eyes are constantly red

[soxboy]

I tried this out on Monday night when I went to bed. I woke up with the most blood shot eyes I ever had. It lasted until today (Friday) and Visine did very little to help the situation. They were swollen and bright red for 3-4 days. Proceed with caution.

[regina]

omg i feel awful for you all

Thats weird...you dont put the honey in your eye...just on the lids...but if you still did that...and you turned out worse...I am so sorry. It doesnt have that effect on me at all...its very soothing...so weird. Again sorry for having a bad reaction

[stella]

I have just tried honey - after reading this post I googled "honey for treating eye disease" (I am useless at giving the direct link)

THis article sugests a DILUTED form -1 part honey to 4 parts distilled or boiled water (I used sterile normal saline from the pharmacy) and boiled a small plastic container with a lid ,I mixed the stuff in this and have it refrigerated

You use a dropper (I used an ear dropper which I boiled)and drop it into your eyes
They suggest a gradual increase in both strength and frequency of drops as tolerated

I only used it a couple of times in one eye
I cant say it made any difference and I cant say it stung or hurt either

I have had a bit of a flare -up this last couple of weeks
Thats why I decided to try ,otherwise I would " let well alone " as they say

I probably did'nt give it enough of a chance

It was Manuka honey I used

[Britta]

I`m giving it a try

I have also bought a tube of medical honey (manuka) and made eyedrops from it (one part boiled water/one part honey). They sting a bit and my eyes get quite red for about one hour. However, five days into this experiment I am beginning to feel a difference. Today for the first time in six months I didn´t use any artificial tears at all. I forgot about my eyes for more than one hour at a stretch! It`s now 9pm here in Germany and usually at that time of day I can barely keep my eyes open, tonight I feel great. I am immensely grateful to Regina on the other side of the globe.

[Guest]

I'm no expert on the properties of honey, but apparently when honey comes in contact with skin or body fluids it releases small amounts of hydrogen peroxide...

[regina]

well thank gosh honey didnt hurt you!

I feel awful for the people who had an issue...im still using honey...my eyes get immediate relief....but just the eye lid margins which let my oil glands work for the first time in a couple of years. I still have dry eye...so i still have issues to tackle...its funny...now that my lids dont sting...I am feeling the sting of dry eyeballs for the first time...oye vey...god this gets old.

Im thinking it may work and not hurt me because I am a rare person with no allergies...or reactions to anything. So maybe that is the difference with some people..again I apologize for steering some people wrong...the last thing I would want in this world is to make someones eyes feel worse than we have already suffered! Big hugs to all

[rukapuka]

Hey!
I'm living in Egypt and my doctor suggested that I use raw honey..He really supported the idea because some other dry eye patient used it and his eyes got way better.
But unfortunately it really stung me when I used it..then it inflamed my eyes like hell and had to go on local steroids for a while. But my doctor still assures that it helped other people. I used to put saline on them (half and half).
It sounded too stupid when he first told me about it, but I felt like I'm tearing after using it, I wouldn't need eye lubricants for couple of hours later..If it didn't get my eyes inflamed I would've used them! Just make sure the honey is natural and clean.

[Britta]

Day 7 on honey

I am still using my handmade honey drops and feel even better than two days ago. I am off the artificial tears, which made me feel like a junkie: short-term relief replaced by ever more vicious rebounds of dryness.
I think, I suffer from ocular rosacea (occasionally flushing cheeks with red wine, chocolate and cold; I have an appointment with a specialist to have this confirmed) and the manuka honey seems to bring down the inflammation of my M. glands (tiny red spots on my lid margins).
This might be a mere coincidence or powerful wishful thinking and I think those of you, who have been around for some time, have seen many an instantaneous remedy come and go. Anyway, for the time being I am enyoing my renewed wellbeing and am still thankful to Regina for drawing my attention to the healing potential of honey.
Those of you tempted by the idea to give honey/manuka a try, should follow Stella`s advice and dilute the honey thoroughly. If your eyes put up with that you can carefully increase the honey percentage.

[Rebecca Petris]

I don't know anything about use of honey in the eye so I've hesitated to comment about it in this thread. But I know what it's like here, people will grab at anything that seems to help anybody anywhere, so I want to just interject some caution again.

Please, always employ careful consideration and use common sense before following any suggestions put forward by any user of this forum no matter what their personal results have been. I personally would urge people not to put anything in their eyes that their doctor does not approve of or anything non sterile. If your doctor isn't open minded enough to explore alternative solutions when what they have to offer isn't cutting it, get another one. If you don't like western medicine (not crazy about it myself) get a naturopath in addition to your eye doctor if your eye doctor does nothing but drugs. But however you do it, don't go it on your own when it comes to stuff you put in your eyes.

A dry eye is, obviously, an unhealthy, vulnerable eye that is not well equipped to deal with things that could harm it.

[Lucy]

I want to say I agree with Rebecca (for what that is worth). If nothing else, I have been at the dry eye business for 10 years and have seen many "cures" come and go. None have stayed, or we wouldn't be here still coming up with new things.

I can't disagree that it's very tempting to try new things we hear about. I have tried a couple of odd things, but never put in my eyes directly. Let's say some exotic tea as in hot drink.

If six people grab on to what one or two people say, and mix up some sort of potion to put in their eyes, it will almost likely be comtaminated. You say to mix water, etc. Even with sterile products, it's easy to comtaminate. Good luck to anyone trying this. I would not do it myself. I am about as hard up as one can be after this long and having Sjogrens, which does not get better with time, at least as far as the eyes go. Please be careful Lucy

[regina]

still using honey

I realize honey sounds out there. I would of course caution everybody on safety whether you are using a new drop you have never tried or even heating a rice bag in a microwave...google honey and then ask your doctor first. I think I am dealing with rosacea on my eyelids and rosacea is bothered by all types of foreign substances ingrediants. Eye drops were never good for me...heat didnt much for unplugging my oil glands it just felt good.

Yes I tried honey...and yes it worked and is still working. Its been 3 weeks and my lid margins are still a pretty light pink instead of beat red. I dont have to express my glands anymore...oil comes out freely. I am not the only one it worked for...there is also another member who is doing really really well.

To try it , you Probably shouldnt be allergic to pollen...you dont need to put it in your eye..close your eye tight...and apply it to your eyelash margins. You probably shouldnt have other eye problems...This would be for people with rosacea or sjorgrens... but again ask your doctor..using honey is not new...and it has helped 2 people on here which is really not bad!

Considering all the chemicals that are in eye drops we freely put in our eyes...and the people who wear eye makeup made up from who knows what...i dont think honey is so far out there in the danger zone...but then what do i know!

Again ask your doctor and bring him some info from the internet if he knows nothing about it.

good luck all and yes of course be careful!

[Mara]

honey

You said that your lids look great. Do your eyes also look and feel good?

[regina]

lids look great...but i still have dry eye

I had extreme stinging pain in my eye lid margins. That has reduced to almost nil...but I still have dry eyes from not enough tears. I have had all four drains cauterized. So im gonna try the cyclosporine again. I tried it before and didnt help but maybe because i had no oil Now that I have oil..I need water to mix with.

At home with my humindifier at about 50 to 55, i am comfortable without drops or moisture goggles all day long! Now I suffer at work , gyms casinos and the sort. Outside is also wonderful for me.

[Britta]

My last note on honey

This will be my last post on the honey thread.
First I want to admit that Rebecca and the others who intervened in order to prevent people from putting home-brewed liquids with particles we little know about into their eyes were absolutely right and I want to apologize for encouraging people to do this.
However, as I am still making considerable progress with honey I think it would be a pity if people gave honey a miss because of that. Please do talk with your doctors about manuka honey and let them look into its potential as well as possible risks.
I have been suffering from red burning eyes for a long time. It has been leaking its way into my life. Three or two years ago there was occasional discomfort at work or in the evening, one year ago that happened on a daily basis but not 24/7, since autumn 2009 it has changed my life. I have been to two doctors and their treatments made my eyes worse (anti-histamins/lubricating drops etc.). Since I have been applying manuka honey my eyes are constantly getting better. I don´t need any artificial tears anymore, there is hardly any burning left and they do not get that red anymore in the afternoon and evening. There are still some prominent veins in my eyes, maybe they have grown into the whites of my eyes and will stay there for good and I am not enthusiastic about them, but what was really bothering me was that sore looking redness that crept in every afternoon.
I have to apply the honey about every three hours. If I wait too long, my eyes become etchy again. The honey stings for a couple of minutes and then a very soothing effect sets in which lasts for about three hours. At the beginning my eyes got red for quite some time, this now is down to five minutes. I think, it takes control of the inflammation in my eyes.
I wrote this last post on Regina´s honey cure because I would hate the idea that someone who could benefit missed out on this easy, low-cost, natural and accessible remedy. As most other treatments this one probably works only with certain cases but if anyone else was helped this thread would have made tweo people happy.