Boric Acid Home Remedy for the Eyes

Boric acid has been used to treat common infections of the eyes for hundreds of years. Even today, well-known manufacturers such as Bausch & Lomb market ophthalmic solutions containing boric acid solution. Boric acid has a mild antiseptic effect on bacterial and fungal infections. You should always inform your physician or pharmacist about your use of boric acid. People with allergic reactions to boric acid should not use it as an eyewash.

What is Boric Acid?

• Boric acid, also known as boracic acid or orthoboric acid, is a naturally occurring compound consisting of boron, oxygen, and hydrogen. Boron is most commonly found around dried salt beds and near deserts. Boric acid crystals are white, odorless, and almost tasteless, and look similar to table salt. Boric acid can also be found in fine baby powder. In 1702, Wilhelm Homberg created the first man-made boric acid crystals, which soon became a popular product used as an antiseptic and an eyewash.

How to Use Boric Acid as an Eyewash

• You wouldn't think something called an "acid" could be used in human eyes, but boric acid has been used for exactly that purpose for hundreds of years. Boric acid should be used in a very dilute solution to gently bathe the eyes. Generally, a 1.9- to 2.5-percent solution is recommended as an eyewash. Mix 1/4 tsp.in 1 pint of water to bathe the eyes several times to relieve irritation from eye infections.

Use of Boric Acid for Pink Eye

• A mixture of 1 tbs. of boric acid in a solution with 4 oz. of saline wash, the kind used for contact lenses, can be used to bathe the eye several times a day to treat pink eye.

Where to Get Boric Acid

• Boric acid can be purchased at drugstores, at Kmart, or at Walmart. Ready-made solutions from manufacturers can also be purchased at these stores or online. Read the contents to make sure it is a boric acid solution formulated for ophthalmic (for the eyes) use.

Other Uses for Boric Acid

• Besides its use as an antiseptic and eyewash, boric acid has been found to be useful as a component of pharmaceutical and cosmetics, as a flame retardant, to increase temperature resistance in glassware, as a wood preservative, and even as a pesticide. Its effectiveness in nanoparticle form when added to motor oil is currently being studied to determine if it increases the oil's performance and enhances fuel efficiency.