Homemade Eyewash: Help, I'd like a tried & trusted formula.

[blackmesa]

Thanks for the response...I've always thought that tap water irritated your eyes, so I've not tried it.
I am asthmatic & hay/straw dust, actually dust in general makes my eyes stream and swell up. I honestly couldn't tolerate not rinsing the crud out of them.
Antihistamine eyedrops aren't something I've considered, I'll look into that option. I'm using liquid tears at the minute to keep my eyes from dying out. They really help

Asthma is strongly correlated with atopic ("allergic") symptoms in people. Dust is also a "classic" asthma trigger. Usually if you dig enough, you can find a pretty good family history of it, since it's frequently genetic. Do you ever suffer from skin rashes/eczema/dermatitis as well? If it's really something that bugs you and if you can't avoid the dust, definitely see your doctor. It's treatable. If you're happy with the liquid tears (I'm assuming you're referring to the kind you find in pharmacies etc), then that's probably what I'd stick with.

You are correct about tap water. It should only be used in emergencies to irrigate the eyes. It is no good for routine use.

My point above was that there's essentially not really a "routine" eyewash situation, in the sense that you're either washing debris out or you're not. If you've got other problems (eg hypersensitivity/allergies) then an eyewash will only be of limited usefulness (that is, it will remove any remaining allergenic particles, but it won't reverse the allergic reaction that has already begun). Some eye drops will contain a detergent/lubricant that will improve irritation, or an antihistamine that will reduce the allergic response. Not everyone needs that, though, and there can be issues with long term use of antihistamines.

I get an eyeful of tap water every time I shower, though. Am I (seriously) putting my eyes at risk?

Haha... You have the perfect username/post combination!

Unless you live in a developing country or use an unfiltered non-municipal water supply (eg rainwater tanks), or there's something else unusual with your water, you should have nothing to worry about with this. Some municipalities will have larger amounts of chlorine/chloramines than others in the water, but it's not enough to do damage to your eyes from exposures like showers. Swimming pools, for instance have far (FAR) greater quantities of these chemicals, and generally only cause mild irritation after prolonged exposure. Swimming in sea water (which is extremely hypertonic compared to the fluids that compose the inside of the eye) presents an equally steep chemical gradient, but again, the membranes of the outer eye perform their job well. Generally speaking, if the water is potable, then it should be ok for the eye. Your lips and the inside of your mouth (and GI tract) along with the insides of your eyelids and the conjunctivae of your eyes are all mucosal membranes of your body that share similar characteristics when it comes to defense against the outside world. As long as it's an uncomplicated problem (i.e. not a foreign body impalement), clean running tap water is quite safe if you need to get small debris out of your eye.

[wee drop o' bush]

blackmesa I am not overly reactive skin wise, but I've had contact dermatitis before. Also when I scratch I get raised red welts, particularly round my neck & throat area
I'm allergic to cats & my skin goes mad if I forget this & pet them.

The liguid tears I use are Celluvisc. They come in single dose containers, the active ingredient is Carmellose Sodium 1% w/v.
These are fantastic

[squinty]

Do you wear glasses or goggles when you work with hay?

[wee drop o' bush]

I've tried, but I wear a half mask with filters so there's no room for safety goggles too. The straw dust is worse for my breathing than it is for my eyes.
At least I'm only working with straw for 5 months out of 12. Once lambing ends I don't need the eyewash on a daily basis

[Ech0Sierra]

I've tried, but I wear a half mask with filters so there's no room for safety goggles too. The straw dust is worse for my breathing than it is for my eyes.
At least I'm only working with straw for 5 months out of 12. Once lambing ends I don't need the eyewash on a daily basis

You could try those watertight swimming goggles. They tend to be compact enough to fit over any mask.

[wee drop o' bush]

That's not a bad idea

[Tommy Tran]

I dunno if anyone suggested, but how about improving your PPE with some good safety glasses that reduce the amount of airborne particulates that reach your eyes...?

Prevention!

[wee drop o' bush]

I dunno if anyone suggested, but how about improving your PPE with some good safety glasses that reduce the amount of airborne particulates that reach your eyes...?

Prevention!

Thanks Tommy I have a pair of safety goggles but my mask already covers over half of my face

[Tommy Tran]

Wow your a cutie... in a mask! lol

OT- So safety glasses are cheap. Rig a pair with some foam around the rim of the lenses to give you a sort of seal around your eyes, use some antifog wipes on them in case its hot out. Looks like the mask may be a little big for you. I run the Sundstrom mask at work when I need to and it is really comfortable and low profile and comes in 2 sizes, works with safety glasses! Oh and its cheap too!
http://www.safetycompany.com/products/S ... rator.html

[dallas]

How about a full face gas mask? Mil surplus are pretty cheap.

[wee drop o' bush]

The mask probably is a bit oversized but it's working well thankfully.
To be honest I'd find protective goggles and a face mask too claustrophobic.
Thankfully I only have another eight-ten weeks left of working with straw on a daily basis. My eyes are sore from rinsing them every day.

[wee drop o' bush]

How about a full face gas mask? Mil surplus are pretty cheap.

That's an option definitely
I wasn't sure how I'd tolerate the half mask, but I'm not having any problems.

[wrigsted]

I know you wrote homemade eye wash, but I use these 1.5 ml of 0.9 saline to my eyes. Always have a few of these on me. And they are a must in my prep kit, you never know when you need sterile water.

[wee drop o' bush]

I know you wrote homemade eye wash, but I use these 1.5 ml of 0.9 saline to my eyes. Always have a few of these on me. And they are a must in my prep kit, you never know when you need sterile water.

Thanks
These would be ideal too. I have a larger bottle of saline eye wash in my EFAK. Do you mind telling me where you got that size from?

[KnightoftheRoc]

I've trained in aromatherapy so tinkering with potions isn't something new.

Cool! How many gold pieces would you charge me for some potions of healing?

OT, eyewash isn't something I'd have ever thought about making for myself. I suppose I'd just go with some sterile water, which I will now have to add to my preps list. You guys are killing me here- my work just never ends!

[wee drop o' bush]

I've trained in aromatherapy so tinkering with potions isn't something new.

Cool! How many gold pieces would you charge me for some potions of healing?

Just a Pirates 7 should suffice

[wrigsted]

I know you wrote homemade eye wash, but I use these 1.5 ml of 0.9 saline to my eyes. Always have a few of these on me. And they are a must in my prep kit, you never know when you need sterile water.


Thanks
These would be ideal too. I have a larger bottle of saline eye wash in my EFAK. Do you mind telling me where you got that size from?

I think you can get them in most pharmacies. But I get mine in exchange for some handy work.

[squinty]

Would it help to premedicate with benadryl or claritin or some such before going to work in the hay?

[wee drop o' bush]

Would it help to premedicate with benadryl or claritin or some such before going to work in the hay?

It just might. I have Claritin in the house so that's a good idea.
To be honest, I'm not a morning person, I'm too bleary eyed to have thought of this myself before going out first thing

[KnightoftheRoc]

What if you wore eye protection? A pair of safety glasses, maybe? If you keep the stuff out of your eyes in the first place, you shouldn't need to treat the problem. Take a more proactive approach to it. Tho, knowing how to make your own eyewash WOULD be a handy thing.

[wee drop o' bush]

It would KotR

Though look at my avatar & tell me where exactly I'd fit anything other than swimming goggles

[Mr_Sheesh]

I try not to Necro, but...

I've worked doing Embedded Systems (automating various stuff) - I've worked with some NASTY chemicals, we ran clean air in from outside, and had a Vinyl hood (it was cheap, but they were a low-budget outfit LOL) you'd wear; Something like a CPAP machine a short distance away will do this pretty well, if you can find one used etc.; Basically clean filtered air, down a hose, and duct tape it to the hood. The "dirty" air in there goes through a scrubber before it's emitted outside - One of their people had teeth enamel etching off, then started having BAD health problems, before they figured out that clean breathing air was a good idea I swear, Wanna-be Process Engineers, they always figure only OTHER humans can be killed by toxins LOL

I'm looking to find something to carry EDC as eyewash - So far the only option I've had suggested was Nebulizer Saline, and it's Prescription-only and comes in a $20 box (of 500?) I can get a box if needed, but, smaller purchases are smart. And you'd still have the "Prescription items HAVE to be carried with the container & label" thing. Where in the world do folks FIND these things, non prescription, in the US? Is my pharmacy just not carrying it?

[squinty]

For emergency exposure relief, why not just water? You'd need copious amounts anyway, if you git something dangerous in your eyes, to flush them out. Why not a bottle of water?

[wee drop o' bush]

Wate'rs good for emergencies but I wanted a solution useable on a daily basis. I've tried using water this way & found it irritated my eyes after several days.

Lambing has finished now & I'm not currently working with straw each day so at present my eyes are fine.

I didn't come across any formulas/recipes for eyewash that I trusted enough to try out myself. So for now I'm still using Optrex.