Recently I have been bothered by these little flying spots and wiggly bits in my vision, called floaters. They are quite annoying so I did a bit of research into what cause them and if anything can be done about them. Are there any natural ways to get rid of them and can I use essential oils to manage these floaters.
What are floaters?
Eye floaters appear like specks or strands or cobwebs that move around in your vision. They are bits of debris in the vitreous humour of your eyes, which is the gel-like section between the lens and the retina of the eye.
What cause floaters?
Tired eyes – get some rest
Too much screen time can impact your eyes and make them tired. Sleep deprivation often cause those scratchy, tired and dry eyes but certainly can increase the amount of floaters. Try to get a good night’s rest so that your eyes can heal and repair.
Dehydration
The vitreous humor in your eyes consist mostly of water. Therefor dehydration has a significant influence on that. This vitrous humor can lose its shape or shrink.
Stress
Stress and anxiety can trigger floaters. I can definitely say that,for myself, that is very true. My floaters have increased after a very stressful period in my life.
Smoking
Cigarettes is bad for your health overall but it can harm your eyes and lead to the formation of floaters or increase them.
Alcohol
Alcohol can lead to premature aging of the vitreous humor. That can trigger the formation of floaters.
Inflammation
Inflammation can be one of the leading causes of eye floaters. Too much processed foods and refined carbohydrates and a diet high in sugar can cause inflammation.
What can you do?
1. Go for an eye check,
Best to go for an eye exam to rule out any serious underlying issue. The optometrist did a thorough exam of my eyes and I was told if I get flashes of light to come back without delay. He also recommended going for a physical check up with my doctor.
2.
Don’t wear your contacts all the time
This was the advice from my Optometrists. Giving your eyes a break and wearing your glasses a bit more.
3. Improve your sleep
Paying attention and being intentional about getting a good night’s sleep can help your eyes to heal and repair. I have written another blog about sleep that you can read here.
4. Limit your screen time
Easier set than done but I can vouch that since I took Facebook and Insta off my phone it has limited my screen time before bedtime. Avoid using your computer in the dark or reading with poor light.
5. Manage your stress
Dealing with our stress levels and putting some healthy habits and strategies in place can be life changing.
- – Deep breathing
- – Meditating
- – Exercising
- – Spending time in nature
- – Spending time with loved ones
- – Having something to look forward to
6. Limit your alcohol consumption
Cutting back on the amount of alcohol as well as the frequency will lighten the load of your liver.
7. Stop smoking
It is one of the most addictive habits and most difficult habits to break. I watched how many times my husband struggled to quit and what a negative spiral that created. When he finally broke that cycle, it was truly life changing.
8. Drink enough water
Stay hydrated. Not only can this help to keep your vitrous humor healthy but so many of your biochemical processes in your body requires water.
9. Eat healthy
Eating real foods that does not come with an ingredient list such as fruits and vegetables can have a significant change in your energy levels, overall health as well as eye health.
- Anti-oxidant rich foods are crucial for eye health
- Carrots contain Lutein and beta carotene which is beneficial for eye health
-
10. Omega 3 oils
Omega 3 oils have a good impact on eye health.
Using essential oils to get rid of eye floaters?
Can you use essential oils at all to help with eye floaters?
Yes you can but you need to be very careful how to use it. There are a fair bit of unsafe advice on the internet when it comes to using essential oils around the eye area.
Firstly you should never put essential oils direct into your eyes. That is just dangerous and very unsafe. For further reading you can click here.
I have read a few Pinterest posts about dropping Frankincense oil on your palms and rubbing it together before putting your hands over your eyes. On that I would just say never put undiluted essential oils on your skin. You can read more in detail about the reasons why here.
So how do I use essential oils then ?
1. Alternating hot and cold compresses on the eyes.
Put some hot water, not boiling, in a basin or bowl. You can add a couple of drops of Lavender oil to the water. Make sure that you swirl the water around and be mindful that the essential oil does not mix with the water so it will go and make a film on the top of the water. Dip a clean washcloth in the hot water and then rinse the facecloth and apply it to your eyes for a couple of minutes.
Have another bowl with some cold water with a couple of drops of Frankincense in.
Follow with a cold facecloth for another 2 minutes. You can repeat this twice a day.
2. Steam inhalations
Put some boiling water in a bowl or in the basin. Add a couple of drops(2) of Lavender and a couple of drops(2) of Frankincense to the water. You don’t have to swirl this around, it is fine if it just sits on the top of the water.
I normally put my bowl inside my basin, that way it is nice and safe and won’t topple over. Be very careful when working with the boiling water.
Use a big enough towel to cover the bowl as well as your head. Lean forward but be careful not to be too close Breathe in the steam for a couple of minutes. You can have your eyes open but if it burns you then either your steam is too hot or you are having your face too close to the bowl. It needs to be comfortable. If it is too strong or too hot, move away.
Also, use the best quality essential oils that you can buy.
3. Rub it between your hands and cover your eyes
Never put undiluted essential oils on your skin. It has to be diluted in a carrier oil. You can either dilute it yourself or buy oils that are already diluted. How do I know the difference? If is says 100 % on the bottle it is undiluted oil.
In 30 ml of carrier oil, such as almond or coconut or grape seed oil you can add :
6 drops of Lavender oil
4 drops of Frankincense oil
Add a couple of drops of this mixture on your palm. Rub your palms together and place your palms over your eyes and hold for about 30 seconds at least.
NEVER put essential oils direct into your eyes
Never apply undiluted oil close to your eyes.
Organic Lavender Essential Oil 30 mL
Lavender is perhaps the most well-known of the essential oils and for good reason. Lave… [More]
Organic Frankincense Serrata Essential Oil…
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General Safety Information
Always use good quality essential oils, preferably organic. One of my favorite companies where I personally get a lot of my oils from is Plant Therapy.
Do not take essential oils internally or apply essential oils undiluted on the skin.
Always dilute essential oils with a carrier oil.
Dilute according to body mass. For children you can use a 1 % dilution and for adults 5 %
Pregnant women have to consult with a qualified aromatherapist and or midwife and doctor before using essential oils, especially topically.
If you have liver damage, cancer, suffers from epilepsy or other medical problems and take medicine on a regular basis then you have to use essential oils under the guidance of a trained aromatherapist.
Check whether the essential oil of your choice is safe to use around your pets. Here is an article that I wrote on essential oils safety for dogs.
Disclaimer: this article is for educational purposes only. Please check with your optometrist and doctor first.
Take care of you so that you can take care of those you love
Elize
Books
https://www.bookdepository.com/Better-Health-Through-Natural-Healing-Ross-Trattler/9781905367436
Resources
https://roberttisserand.com/2013/02/essential-oils-and-eye-safety/
http://www.natural-treatments-for.com/eye-floaters.html
https://allabouteyes.com/stressed-stress-affects-eyes/
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Glad that you found it helpful.