Castor Oil for Dry Eyes

Sharon Mathukutty • Jul 15, 2021

What Is Dry Eye Disease?

Dry eye disease is an eye condition that occurs when your tear ducts can’t provide the sufficient amount of lubrication needed for your eyes. If you have dry eyes, you might be experiencing irritation or a burning sensation, extreme sensitivity to light, and the constant feeling of having something stuck in your eyes.

According to research, over 3 million adult American women and 1.68 million adult American men are affected by dry eyes. Here are some of the risk factors that make it more likely for you to experience this disease:

You’re older than fifty.
You’re female.
You often wear contact lenses.
You’ve recently had eye surgery.
You have Vitamin A deficiency.

With all that being said, there are several remedies you can implement in your routine to cure your dry eyes, such as using castor oil.

What Is Castor Oil?

Castor oil is a multi-purpose vegetable oil extracted from castor beans that have been used in the health and food industry for thousands of years. It is a powerful liquid that has been shown to relieve constipation, heal wounds, counter inflammation, and act as a natural moisturizer. However, our interest here is the impact castor oil can have on our eye health and, more specifically, on dry eyes.

Can Castor Oil Help Prevent Dry Eyes?

Our tears consist of three layers: water, oil, and mucous. The layer of oil is essential since it prevents the water in your eyes from evaporating. Therefore, it’s natural that castor oil can help increase lubrication in your eyes. This has been concluded by several years of research which have found that castor oil can be used both as a salve for your eyelids and as an eye drop. For example, a 2010 study published in the journal Contact Lens and Anterior Eye gathered that eye drops containing castor oil played an essential role in correcting dry eyes since they increased the thickness of the layer of tears.

How Can You Use Castor Oil for Dry Eyes?

There are several artificial tear drops you can purchase that include castor oil as a significant ingredient. Before using these tears, make sure that you remove your contact lenses and shake the bottle properly. Then, squeeze the drops into your eyes and keep your eyes shut as the solution spreads across the eye’s surface. You’d want to do this at least three to four times a day to optimize the impact it has on your eye health. If your vision feels a bit blurry after using castor oil, don’t panic! The oil is simply creating a layer of protection inside your eyes, and your vision will improve after a while.

Visiting a Doctor

Keep in mind that the remedies we have shared can only help you so far in curing your dry eyes. If you’ve been experiencing dry eye symptoms for an extended period, visit us at Superior Eye Care in Houston, The Woodlands, or Spring in Texas. Our friendly and professional staff is always ready to help you out with all your eye-related problems.

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