Spring has arrived in northern California! My favorite time of year adorns our gardens in flowers and fragrance. But, the air is FULL of pollen from weeds, grasses, hay, and trees ~ all blowing around in gusty breezes. Folks with hay fever and allergies are feeling the effects. I’m not usually bothered, but this year was different…
Had a routine eye check-up in early this month. Since I hadn’t been to the optometrist in over two years, he wanted to use dilation drops in my eyes – three different chemical solutions. (yikes!) He also noticed a slightly swollen gland on the outside of one eye, which had been mildly tender for the two days before my appointment. The exam went fine. My prescription had changed for the better and generally everything looked good.
Soothing Irritated or Infected Eyes Naturally
But as the days passed, after the exam, my eyes became more and more irritated…to the point where my left eye was red, my right eye mildly so, the inner tear ducts were inflamed with constant dried tear deposits in the inner corners. Thought I’d wait a week to ten days to see if it would clear up, but my eyes weren’t improving. Was about to call the eye doctor to see if I was having a reaction to the dilation drops, but figured since he’s rather traditional in his medical approach and not a particularly creative thinker, he was likely to suggest some other pharmaceutical which I prefer not to use.
Two weeks was long enough to see if my eyes would heal on their own. They didn’t seem to be improving. Thought perhaps therapeutic quality essential oils might help, rubbed on the bridge of my nose and under the eyebrow (NEVER in the eyes).
~ A drop of LAVENDER on the bridge of the nose, reputedly will clear blocked tear ducts. Didn’t work for this situation.
Perhaps it was an infection? I switched to a gently healing Australian therapeutic essential oil: KUNZEA. To no avail, my eyes continued to be irritated and weepy.
Pure Organic Rose Hydrosol ~ Soothes Eyes Overnight
Pure Organic Rose Hydrosol (Rosewater)Wondered what to do next?
Then recalled how excellent pure organic rosewater was for soothing my cat’s runny eyes. When she has spring allergies, I dampen a cotton ball, wipe her eyes gently, and any weepiness stops almost instantly. Really! We’ve seen it work over and over, even though it’s still hard to believe how effective and quick the results are.
It’s wise to be cautious with what you use ‘in’ your eyes. Felt hesitant to put the pure rose hydrosol in directly since it contains a small amount of rose essential oil from the steam distillation process. So, I tried wiping my eyes with a rosewater dampened cotton ball like I do for my cat. My eyes felt better, but still didn’t clear up.
Happened to have a freshly emptied rosewater bottle, which I filled half full of filtered drinking water. The only rosewater left in the bottle was clinging to the inner glass surfaces. Just before bedtime that evening, used a clean eyedropper and put 2-3 drops of this extremely dilute rosewater solution in each eye.
In the morning ~ less than 8 hours later ~ my eyes were clear! The irritated redness and dried tears in the corners…gone! Amazed? Relieved? You bet! Continued to use the dilute rosewater solution, morning and evening, for two more days as insurance to keep the irritation from returning. But my eyes were healed.
Hybrid Musk roses blooming in my garden: ‘Pax’ is the vigorous white rose. ‘Eva’ is huge crimson blossomed shrub.Now, I’m enjoying our beautiful spring weather and the glorious roses blooming all over town!
10 thoughts on “Infected Eyes Heal Overnight with Rose Hydrosol (Rosewater)”
Estevin a product containing the essence of rose petals pharmaceutical grade eye drops was taken off the market over twenty years ago. It worked great for itchy, red, runny, allergy caused eye discomfort. I really miss it!
I then tried plain rosewater which was very cheap and seemed to work well as eye drops directly from the bottle. UNFORTUNATELY my eye surgeon had it analyzed prior to cataract surgery and found some very nasty components of the rose bush in the ingredients. He forbade its use. I am still looking for pharmaceutical grade rosewater with all of those nasties removed. Essential Oils of Healing does not seem to have Rosewater (except for the bottle in the picture) and offers no prices on any product.
Can you help me in my search?
Bill Ledger
Bill ~ Yes! Pure rosewater also known as rose hydrosol (steam-distilled from organically grown rose petals) works wonders for irritated eyes.
Cheap products are generally not of the quality one would use for health purposes as the roses may have been cultivated with pesticides or the rosewater fragranced with toxic aromachemicals.
I’m not sure from your comment what your surgeon considers nasty rose bush components to be? I, personally, would not use an ‘adulterated’ rosewater stripped of any components…nature is wise and her healing plants are made perfectly…even if their components in isolation might be ‘nasty.’
Where are you located? The rosewater I use is grown organically in northern California. I also know of a supplier in the southern USA states, though I have not used their rosewater product. Their other products have been top notch. Let me know what you choose to do.
could someone let me know how to dilute the rosewater concentrate for eye drops please
Hi Tom ~ If you have pure rose hydrosol (rosewater), a by product of steam distillation of rose petals, wiping rosewater over irritated eyes with a cotton ball will relieve discomfort.
I’ve just re-read our article and am changing my reply:
One drop of pure rosewater is very helpful for eye infections diluted with 10 to 30 drops of distilled water. Keep it in a clean glass bottle. And use a clean glass dropper to apply to your eyes.
Hi,
My sister is 9 and she has myopia(short eye sighted). Is it ok to put the roses water as eye drops in her eyes or do I have to dilute it.
Thanks
Aneesa ~ Does your sister have an eye infection? Rose hydrosol is good for infections, not to correct her short-sight (which has to do with how long her eyeballs are).
Yes, 1 drop of pure organic rose hydrosol in the eye is fine to help clear infections or irritation. If that makes you nervous, put it on a cotton ball, have your sister close her eyes and wipe the damp cotton ball over her eye and eyelid. Please DO NOT USE rose water that is for cooking and candies. It is not the same and not necessarily safe to use in the eyes.
My 7 year old daughter has really bad tree allergies that cause her eyes to be irritated for days! Someone mentioned rose oil, so I am curious what you would recommend? I ordered one and it is an organic pure blend but it is a concentrate. Unsure what to do or use.
Thank you!
Patty ~ Rose oil is too strong to use as is on a young child. I would suggest diluting ONE drop of rose oil with 19 drops of a carrier oil like jojoba or organic coconut oil just barely warmed to melt. Coconut oil will firm up at room temperature and be easier to use.
Plus essential oils should NEVER be used IN the eyes. They can be used around the eye area (over the lid under the eyebrow and under the eyes, but well away from the edges).
Diluted rose oil can also be put on reflexology points that correspond to the eyes on the tips of the fingers and toes. See these charts.
What I use myself and suggest to others is Rose HYDROSOL (pure organic rosewater) for its powerful, yet very gentle, healing properties. I purchased my latest supply of organic Rosewater / Rose Hydrosol from Eden Botanicals. Their price is very reasonable.
I bought 16oz and then poured it into a 4oz bottle to keep handy in my bathroom, kept in a dark cupboard. The rest I keep refrigerated, because hydrosols can get contaminated out in the open and degrade.
It’s a classic remedy for irritated eyes as we describe in the article. Hope your daughter gets relief. Tree pollen drives our household nuts, too! Please let us know how she does.
I see in the comments that you mention the use of the rose hydrosol from Russian River Rose, and more recently Eden Botanicals. Is there one you tend to prefer over the other? I live in Northern California near Oregon and it’s a VERY dry season, plus it’s spring. Normally I don’t suffer too much this time of year but my eyes (especially the left) are dry, red, and sometimes I almost briefly struggle to see straight and need to close my eyes for a minute. Been like this for a few weeks and eye drops, no matter how “hydrating” aren’t helping.
Hi CC ~ Both brands are good. Since I moved away from CA, it’s easier for me to order from Eden Botanicals…plus their pricing is excellent. As I mention in the article, rose hydrosol can be used as eye drops and is also amazingly effective simply wiped over closed eyes on a cotton ball. Let us know if you find it helps your eyes be more comfortable.