DIY Manuka honey eye drops for lubricating and redness
Updated: Sep 6
Best eye drops ever! I've tried them all (Systane Ultra, Refresh Tears, Clear Eyes, TheraTears, Visine, gel, silver, castor oil, homeopathic, you name it lol) but these get my swelling down and keep my eyes well lubricated. Great for people who drive (truckers, delivery, ridesharing, uber, lyft) or otherwise strain their eyes a lot. I've been using them for several years now and they have worked wonders for me! I swear by them! They do sting for about 15 seconds but you get used to it after a while. I keep these handy in my car and at home. Last updated: September 6, 2026.
You can buy the Optimel Manuka Honey Eye Drops 10mL on Amazon or DIY them at home with the following recipe:
INGREDIENTS
12.5mL Bausch & Lomb Advanced Relief Eye Wash (4oz) (Walmart) (or similar eye wash solution)
3mL disposable plastic syringe (get the straight tip ones, don't get the Luer lock ones with the screw threading or needle)
gloves
purified water
RECIPE
-put your gloves on
-slowly suction 2.5mL of manuka honey with the syringe and dispense into empty dropper bottle
-fill the 15mL dropper bottle with the eye wash solution and leave a small air gap at the top
-place the eye dropper tip on to the dropper bottle
-place bottle cap on the bottle
-shake the bottle for about 3 minutes until all of the honey dissolves
REFERENCES
-http://melcare.com/product/optimel-dry-eye-drops/ (screenshot from Australian site)
-Albietz, J.M. and Lenton, L.M. (2006) Effect of antibacterial honey on the ocular flora in tear deficiency and meibomian gland disease. Cornea. 25. (9): 1012-1019
-Al-Waili NS. Investigating the antimicrobial activity of natural honey and its effects on the pathogenic bacterial infections of surgical wounds and conjunctiva; J Medicinal Food 2004; 7(2): 210-222
-Mansour AM. Epithelial corneal oedema treated with honey. Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology 2002; 30: 149-150 (full, buy)
-Cernak M, Majtanova N, Cernak A, and Majtan J. (2011) Honey Prophylaxis Reduces the Risk of Endophthalmitis During Perioperative Period of Eye Surgery. Phytother. Res. 26: 613–616.
-Matthew Johnston,1 Michael McBride,1 Divakar Dahiya,1 Richard Owusu-Apenten,2 and Poonam Singh Nigam1. Antibacterial activity of Manuka honey and its components: An overview. AIMS Microbiol. 2018; 4(4): 655–664.
-More articles on Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=manuka+honey+eye
FAQs
How often can I use these?
Use them as often as you'd like! When driving I use them about every 1 or 2 hours, about 4 to 6 drops at a time. Have some tissue handy. These don't have the harsh vasoconstrictors often found in typical redness reliever eye drops that actually worsen your eyes with prolonged use.
Can I use regular honey? Why Manuka honey?
This is what the Optimel folks have to say about Manuka "Biomedical research has shown some of the properties of honey produced from the Leptospermum sp [Manuka] shrub are more stable than in other honeys. It is also the most cited honey in clinical research." More info also on the "Antibacterial activity of Manuka honey and its components: An overview." article.
Feel free to comment below with any other questions you may have!
Godspeed O:)