Hi folks
My dad is approaching 80 and for the last couple of years has had to put eye drops in, probably every hour or so. This is because his eyes dry up and he says they feel like they have grit in them.
The doc has told him to use the eye drops to keep them lubricated but I wonder if there is anything that would be better, or maybe cure the issue?
He cannot read or watch TV for more than half an hour as his eyes get so bad but otherwise he is pretty healthy for his age.
Thanks 🙂
Hi Caveman
This is quite an old home remedy, you have probably already heard of it. Couple of months ago it was in news a man suffering from dry eye or some similar chronic eye condition, cured it in a few weeks by applying honey. Apparently after exhausting all medical help available
The news clip said that it was tesco value honey. So no special honey needed..worth a try perhaps.
I'm presuming when you say his doc has told him to use eye drops you mean his GP and not a specialist at a hospital? It would be worth asking his GP to refer him to an ophthalmologist at the hospital to get it checked out as it does seem to have been bothering him for some time. Failing that get him to see an optician. Has he had his eyes tested recently?
What eye drops is he using? Artifical tears can be prescribed if necessary. I really wouldn't recommend putting the honey in his eyes (sorry Jnani), I think that's more for eyelid problems.
Gill
Hi Caveman,
Could your father be generally dehydrated? 🙂 Repeatedly applying prescribed eye drops or home remedies, to his dry eyes will only tickle the surface of the discomfort, I'd say.:)
If you'd care to take the time to do some research on your fathers behalf (unless he want to look into it for himself), try Googling re-hydration / dehydration. For now, you could (if this is appealing to you in anyway), suggest that your father slowly drinks bottled water through out the day.:)
If you have trouble persuading him to drink the recommended amount of bottled water, he could always drink it warm (not tap water) and add fresh lemon juice, possibly a bit of honey to taste 😉
Let us know how you get on.
Thanks for your replies. He does see an optician regularly and I think it was his GP that told him to use artificial drops. He also has glaucoma which I forgot to mention! He drinks lots of herbal teas so I think he is hydrated enough.
I liked the idea of honey but that article was for someone who had a damaged eye instead. I'll do some more googling and see what I can find. Someone mentioned eyedrops that contain a tiny amount of honey? Not sure if that is homemade or available anywhere.