Simple Home Remedies For Puffy Eyes

Introduction:

Waking up in the morning to find puffed-up eyes is probably not the best way to start the day, but it is sometimes unavoidable. It makes us wonder about all the things that could’ve been the reason for it and regret some of our decisions, like eating salty food. Multiple other reasons can also be the cause of your puffy eye, so you shouldn’t get stuck up at that and move on to find a solution. Usually, the swelling in the eyes goes away in a day, but it can still be annoying, and you might want to relieve the swelling.¹ However, sometimes the swelling may be due to a medical condition that you might be unaware of, and it would be best to get it checked by a doctor and get the required puffy eye treatment.    

What Causes Puffy Eyes?

There can be many reasons that cause puffiness of the eyes; some of them are as follows: 

• A stye (infection of eyelash follicle or tear gland on the eyelash)¹  
• The natural ageing process (due to loss of firmness in eye muscle and skin beneath)    
• High salt diet²  
• Allergies due to foods, chemicals or irritants¹  
• Genetics (due to your genes)²  
• Chalazion (blocked oil glands causing bumps on eyelids)    
• Conjunctivitis (pink eye; caused by virus, bacteria, irritants or allergens)    
• Injury to the eye (when a blunt object hits your eye)    
• Orbital cellulitis (inflammation spreading from sinuses)¹  
• Thyroid problems²  
• Grave’s disease (caused due to thyroid problems)    
• Eye cancer (rare)¹  

Also Read: Best Home Remedies For Thick Eyebrows

Symptoms of Puffy Eyes:

Puffy eyes can occur due to many reasons, as stated above. You can say that you have swelling by looking at your eye. If you notice swelling in your upper or lower eyelid or beneath your eyes, it means that you have puffy eyes. Eye puffiness occurs when there’s a fluid build-up in the surrounding tissues of the eye. Eye puffing usually resolves on its own in a day or two, and if it doesn’t, it can indicate that you have a serious problem and should consult a doctor.¹ 

Suggested Home Remedies for Puffy Eyes:

Swelling or puffing of eyes can be an annoyance that you want to get rid of quickly. It might pose as a hindrance to your daily activities. Are you looking for home remedies for puffy eyes? Here are a few home remedies on how to reduce puffy eyes that you might find useful. 

1. Washing or Rinsing  

As already discussed, eye swelling can be caused due to an allergy or an irritant. In such a case, washing or rinsing the eye can be a puffy eyes home remedy and provide some relief. Rinsing eyes with plain water seems to be a good idea, especially when there’s a discharge from your eyes. Washing or rinsing the eyes with cool water may also prove to be one of the soothing home remedies for eye swelling that occurs due to allergies.¹ 

2. Tea Bags  

A tea bag is one of the popular home remedies for swollen eyes. This may be because tea contains caffeine that causes narrowing of blood vessels. This action of tea bags can be beneficial for puffy eyes.² This remedy is easy to use; you can use either green tea bags on your eyes or black tea bags to make tea by dipping them in warm water. Then, you can remove these tea bags and chill them in the fridge for some time. After a while, you can take them out of the refrigerator and put them on your closed eyes. You might be able to see the difference in some time.  

Check out – Lipton Pure & Light Green Tea

3. Chilled Spoons  

Chilled spoons can prove to be a valuable remedy for puffy eyes by acting as a cold compress for puffy eyes. Cooling the area reduces the blood flow, thus alleviating inflammation and swelling.² This is another straightforward home remedy that you can make use of when your eyes become puffy. All you have to do is take a couple of spoons and chill them in the freezer for some time until they become cool. Then, take the chilled spoons and place them over your puffed-up eyes. Doing this might soothe your eyes and act as one of the easiest home remedies for puffy eyes. 

4. Cucumber  

Cooled cucumber acts as a cold compress and might help reduce swelling of the eyes.² You might have seen cucumber being used in spas and salons to cover the eyes. It looks so relaxing! Well, this is one of the home remedies for puffy eyes that is as simple and relaxing as that. You just have to take a few cucumber slices and chill them in your freezer for a while. Then you can just put them on your eyes, sit back and relax. After a while, you might be able to notice decreased puffiness of your eyes. 

5. Coffee    

As mentioned earlier, caffeine narrows the blood vessels, thus reducing the blood flow to the area, leading to decreased swelling.² You can use coffee as one of the natural home remedies for puffy eyes. For this, you have to take a little bit of ground coffee powder, mix a little bit of coconut oil into it and make a paste-like consistency. Apply this mixture under your eyes carefully, ensuring that you don’t put it inside your eyes. Leave it on for some time and wash it off with cold water.  

6. Aloe Vera Gel  

Aloe vera has a variety of therapeutic uses.³ It might have potential beneficial effects for managing swelling of the eyes due to ageing; thus, it can be used as one of the home remedies for puffy eyes or eye bags. You can mix freshly acquired aloe vera gel with a little bit of lemon juice or olive and apply it under your eyes to get rid of swelling. Various creams containing aloe vera gel are also available in the market, and you can use them as one of the home remedies for puffy eyes.  

Check out – Kapiva Pure Aloe Vera Skin Gel – Hydrating Gel For Face

7. Potatoes  

Potatoes are highly beneficial for the skin; therefore, they are used to prepare homemade face packs. Potato is used to ward off dark circles, clear up the skin’s blemishes, get rid of wrinkles, lighten the skin tone, and reduce swelling.⁴ It might be beneficial in relieving swelling under the eyes as well. You can use sliced and cooled potatoes to apply around your eyes as one of the most popular home remedies for bags under the eyes. You can also use the juice of potato and apply it to the skin around your eyes. 

8. Coconut Oil  

Coconut oil is good for the skin as it helps produce collagen and prevents collagen destruction. It also has activity against viruses and fungi.⁵ These properties can be beneficial in reducing the swelling of the eyes. As one of the natural home remedies for eye bags, you can take a little bit of coconut oil and apply it to your face, especially under your eyes, for eye swelling treatment at home. It might take a little longer, but you might be able to see its beneficial effects with constant usage.  

One of more important causes of puffy eyes is high salt fast foods everyone is eating today. Eating a lot of salty foods causes you to retain water and leads to swelling. Restricting the amount of salt in diet has very important health benefits.

Dr. M.G. Kartheeka, MBBS MD(Pediatrics)

Also Read: Natural Home Remedies For Itchy Eyes

When to Seek Medical Help?

Didn’t find a solution for how to cure swollen eyes yet, you should visit an ophthalmologist (eye doctor) if the puffiness of your eyes does not go away in one or two days or if you notice any of the following symptoms that might indicate a more severe problem: 

• If the vision of your eyes decreases 
• If your vision becomes blurry 
• If you experience pain in your eyes 
• If you have a sensation that something is stuck in your eye 
• If you see floaters (spots or specks visible to you that seem to be floating in the air).¹ 

If you experience chronic eye puffiness, talk to your doctor about treatment options, like cosmetic surgery. In some instances, puffy eyes may be a sign of a more serious condition.

Dr. Ashish Bajaj, M.B.B.S. M.D. in Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology

Conclusion:

Anyone can have puffy eyes, and it can hinder daily activities. It can be caused due to excessive salt intake, old age, thyroid problems or eye infections. The causes range widely, but the solutions are equally wide-ranging. You can try home remedies for puffy eyes like tea bags, coffee, cucumber, coconut oil etc. and see what suits you best. However, if the swelling doesn’t go away in a couple of days or you notice decreased vision, blurry vision or pain in your eyes or are seeing floaters, then you should visit an ophthalmologist and get yourself checked.  

Also Read: Effective Home Remedies for Red Eyes

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

References:

1. Puffy Eyes: What Causes Them and What To Do About It – Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic [Internet]. Cleaveland Clinic. 2019 [cited 2022 Jun 2]. Available from: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/puffy-eyes-what-causes-them-and-what-to-do-about-it/ 

2. How to Get Rid of Bags under Your Eyes [Internet]. John Hopkins Medicine. [cited 2022 Jun 2]. p. 1–2. Available from: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/how-to-get-rid-of-bags-under-your-eyes 

3. Surjushe A, Vasani R, Saple D. ALOE VERA: A SHORT REVIEW. Indian J Dermatol [Internet]. 2008 Oct 1 [cited 2022 Mar 30];53(4):163. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2763764/ 

4. Kshitij Parmar NKS. Nutritional Value and Health Benefits of Potatoes. Rashtriya Krishi [Internet]. 2017;12(1):117–9. Available from: http://researchjournal.co.in/upload/assignments/12_117-119.pdf 

5. Lin TK, Zhong L, Santiago JL. Anti-inflammatory and skin barrier repair effects of topical application of some plant oils. Int J Mol Sci [Internet]. 2018;19(1). Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5796020/ 

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