Herbal Eyewash for Eye Floaters

Floaters are small, annoying spots or cobweb-like strands that float across your field of vision. Though they appear to be on the surface of the eye, they are actually small clumps of cellular matter floating around in the vitreous of the eye---the clear, gelatinous material at the center of the eyeball, just behind the retina. They typically occur in people over the age of 40 as one of the many results of normal aging.

Pharmaceutical remedies are available for treating floaters, but as an alternative to these, you can make a simple and effective eyewash yourself with herbal ingredients.

Moondragon's Herbal Eyewash

• There is no herbal eyewash that has been documented in clinical studies to relieve eye floaters. However, some health practitioners recommend cleansing and toning the eyes with an eyewash to improve their overall health, which might in turn bring some relief from floaters.

  Midwife and herbalist Moondragon, on her Moondragon.org website, recommends brewing for 45 minutes a strong tea of two tablespoons echinacea root, two tablespoons goldenseal root, two tablespoons eyebright herb, and two cups of boiling water; straining out the herbs and allowing it to cool; and then washing the eyes with the tea three times daily until no longer necessary.

Eyebright

• You'll notice that one of the ingredients in Moondragon's formula is the herb eyebright, which has long been used in traditional remedies for eye problems. There are countless herbal eyewash recipes containing eyebright, some of which may be helpful with floaters. According to David L. Hoffmann, Director of the California School of Herbal Studies, eyebright is effective in treating eye inflammation (see Resource section).

An Added Note

• Don't be alarmed if your vision gets a little worse for a day or two after beginning to use an herbal eyewash. This is normal as the eye begins to expel the floaters and also begins making more mucus to flush out any other irritants and toxins from the eye tissues.