Manuka honey has some truly amazing health benefits. and is now being used around the world for healing wounds, tumors, and autoimmune diseases. But what can Manuka honey do for your eyes? In this article, we’re going to review five amazing health benefits of Manuka honey eye drops that you and even your doctor probably didn’t know about.
Let’s take a look at Eisen ruby here from healthcarmina.com, helping you learn everything about the eyes. The first amazing benefit of manuka honey is that it works to keep them healthy.
01. Anti-bacterial
In fact, it has been used as an antibacterial since 1999, when it was first approved as a medical treatment for wound care in Australia. The treatments for manuka honey have just expanded across the globe. Manuka honey comes from pollen that’s collected from a specific tree that is found in New Zealand and eastern Australia.
The name is kind of tough, so I’m not even going to try to pronounce it. but within this honey, they have found hydrogen peroxide, polyphenol compounds, and a large amount of a compound called methylglyoxal. which is believed to be responsible for its potent antimicrobial properties. And while Manuka honey eye drops have not been specifically approved for marketing or treatment as an antibiotic for different eye infections, It has been shown in many studies to be effective at killing off
tons of these different types of microbes, including staphylococcus, which is commonly found on the eyelids and leads to eye infections. and there have been some studies showing that Manuka honey does help with blepharitis on human eyelids as well as on rabbits. Manuka honey even has a synergistic effect with other antimicrobial medications for really tough infections such as MRSA, so yes once again, Mother Nature is doing something right.
02. Inflammation
The amazing benefit of manuka honey is that it helps with inflammation. If you haven’t seen any of my previous articles on what causes dry eye syndrome, One of the most significant key players is inflammation; in fact, inflammation plays a huge role. In the vicious cycle, the self-perpetual nature of dry eye is one of the main targets that I need to treat as an eye doctor. When I see dry eyes, one way we test for the presence of inflammation in the eye in the clinic is by using what is called an MMP-9 test called Matrix.
Metalloproteinase 9 is an enzyme that’s released when external epithelial cells of the eyeball are stressed out and damaged .and a study published in 2017 did show that patients who were using manuka honey eye drops twice a day for two months. did
show a decreased level of mmp9 versus controls, which was honestly a pretty cool result to see coming out of something like just Manuka Honey.
03. Meibomian gland dysfunction and Manuka Honey Eye Drops
The third amazing benefit of manuka honey is that it helps with my burgeoning gland dysfunction. Helps stabilize the evaporation rate of the tear film. Meibomian gland dysfunction is again 6a huge player in the development of dry eyes. but is where the oil glands of the eyelids stop producing as well and that leads to a very thin layer of oil on the tear film. and a very quick evaporation rate. and in that same 2017 study, they were able to show improvements in my bromine gland dysfunction as well as the
secretions, leading to a full step of improvement in their MGD scores. as well as increased tier breakup time and while the study did not report statistically significant improvement in redness scores. I mean, people keep asking me how to get rid of red eyes, and the answer is kind of right here: reduce the inflammation and bring homeostasis back to the tear film. Otherwise, I have to say that’s a really good photo, the one with all the oil coming out. That’s what I see in most people coming into the clinic, like seriously. if you had a slit lamp microscope as I have in the clinic most people’s eyes kind of look like this.
04. Demodex mites Benefits of Manuka Honey Eye Drops
And the fourth amazing benefit of Manuka honey is that it can fight Demodex mites on the eyelids and eyelashes. In the 2018 study, they found that manuka honey was just as effective at controlling Demodex mite infestations. as 50 percent tea tree oil you haven’t seen my more recent article about tea tree oil and the eyes 50 percent tea tree oil is a very high concentration.
with high concentrations of tea tree oil being associated with the burning of the eyelids Manuka Honey has not been associated with any Adverse Events. so if Demodex mites or ocular rosacea is a concern then perhaps Manuka honey could be a possible treatment.
05. Potent antioxidant
And finally, number five on our list is that manuka honey works as a potent antioxidant. If you recall, earlier in the article, I mentioned that Manuka honey has high concentrations of what is called “polyphenols.” A compound that’s found in plants works as a very strong antioxidant, and oxidative stress plays a huge role in several eye diseases, including dry eyes. also a more notable development in cataracts and macular degeneration. Now, I’m not going out and saying that Manuka honey is going to specifically, treat or prevent any of these diseases, because right now the evidence just isn’t there yet.
Preventing any of these diseases like couldn’t find any studies that directly linked Manuka Honey use to the prevention of any of these diseases, such as was unable to find any studies that directly linked Manuka Honey use to the prevention of any of these diseases, such as cataracts or macular generation however it is at least implied that hated in the studies specifically. At least on the dry eye that the antioxidant properties of Manuka Honey are one of the key players in its anti-inflammatory effects and have been kind of elucidated as a significant area of research going forward.
But still to have research that supports that there’s an eye drop that kills bacteria and microbes stabilize. the tear film helps with your oil glands reduces inflammation, and works as an antioxidant. that’s super cool now before you go out and start buying Manuka Honey eyedrops. I do want to give a huge disclaimer as well as just my personal experience using these eye drops in my own eyes. First of which is that in this article all
the studies that I referenced are very new studies. it’s new research as
well as having generally a lower amount of people participating in these studies of only about a hundred people. In each study or so, however, there was a more recent meta-analysis looking over a lot of the same studies and did conclude. And find them credible another thing I want to mention is that Manuka Honey is in fact not something I learned about in my schooling.
It’s something I first heard about in the comments section here on the blog so a huge shout out to you and everybody who comments and asks questions. because that drives me to dig into the research and make articles like this and ultimately it helps me become a better doctor so thank you. if you happen to want to read any of the research that I referenced in this article.
I do suggest that you do that, and I’ll put links to all of the references in the blog description below that, as far as my own personal experience using the eye drops. I got these off of Amazon for about twenty dollars, and I’ve been using them a couple of times a day for a few weeks. The one thing I will mention is if you ever try it the drops will burn or sting a little bit, and in fact, if you read the back, they even kind of give that as a warning, however, the burning really isn’t that bad, but it’s something.
where just like with most eye drops you put it in it’s best to close your eyes. and keep your eyes closed for about 20 to 30 seconds; that way, you don’t blink several times and flush out the active ingredients down your drainage canals. I’m not entirely sure if it’s the honey that causes the burning sensation or if it’s the glycerin then it’s also like compounded in because glycerin is also known to cause a burning stinging sensation on the eye. but other than the burning sensation when you use the drops Otherwise, my eyes have been feeling pretty good.
and I guess time will tell we’ll have to do a dry-eye evaluation at the clinic and see how my eyes are doing but we definitely before you go and start self-treating. I always recommend you talk with a local eye care professional to get a proper diagnosis and treatment of any eye disease. And as always, if you found value in this article, hit that “like” button for us for more health-related content just like this; otherwise, to learn more about natural dry eye treatments, check out this next blog.
