Man cures his eye infection with honey after eye drops ‘failed’ to do it

A man who spent eight years searching for a cure for a chronic eye condition was amazed when he finally found the remedy in a jar of honey which surpassed any attempts at healing with prescription medication.

Honey has been used for thousands of years, but its medicinal popularity fell when antibiotics became the go-to treatment. Raw, natural honey contains a variety of antioxidants and enzymes, and also has antibacterial properties, which can be effective both internally and externally.

Raw honey has historically been used on the skin because it contains an antiseptic substance called inhibine which may prevent infection.

Frank Dougan, 62, lost his left eye when he was shot with a bow and arrow in a childhood accident and he later developed a painful infection called blepharitis.

He visited doctors and eye specialists and spent a fortune on different drops over the years but nothing worked.

But he was finally cured when he cut his hand while on holiday in Jerusalem and he was advised to put honey on it.

Surprised by the results, when he returned home to Glasgow he bought a jar of Tesco Value Honey and tried it on his eyelid – and within weeks the infection had cleared.

He said: ‘It’s unbelievable. It’s incredibly effective. I have spent a fortune on prescription eye drops over the years, I have a fridge full of them.

‘It’s funny that at the end of it all the cure would come in the form of a jar of honey from the supermarket. And it’s not bad on toast either.’

The retired soul DJ, who has played for celebrity fans like Rod Stewart, Shirley Bassey, Joe Cocker and Eric Clapton, lost his left eye as a 12-year-old lad.

He has worn a prosthetic eye ever since, but it caused irritation at the end of the day and he eventually developed the painful infection which blighted him for eight years.

Despite the pain, he kept on working as an international DJ, completing long residencies at top hotels around the world including Hong Kong and Disseldorf.

Frank spent hours visiting doctors and eye specialists but none could find a long lasting treatment.

He said: ‘I got shot in the eye by a bow and arrow when I was playing with friends as a kid. It was a terrible experience but I got through it and never let it hold me back.

‘Sometimes prosthetic eyes can cause irritation, especially at night after you have been wearing them all day.

‘Over the years I have learnt to live with it and I get a new eye made every few years.

‘But eight years ago I began to get these infections that turned out to be blepharitis.

‘Lots of doctors gave me eyes drops, I have a whole fridge full and I have spent a fortune but nothing worked.’

The fed up Scot retired three years ago and has spent his time travelling the world visiting historic monuments, all the while suffering intolerable pain.

But in February, Frank stumbled across the cure while on a trip to Jerusalem, Israel.

He first spread the honey on his eyelid twice a day, including on his tear duct, and after just a few weeks the problem cleared up completely.

He said: ‘I was staying at a B&B when I cut my hand. I didn’t have a first aid kit and the owner recommended putting honey on it.

‘I did what he said and the cut healed overnight. Then weeks later I was at home and got a terrible inflammation in my eye.

‘I thought I would give it a try and I haven’t had any problems since. I have looked it up and honey has anti-bacterial qualities so that must be it.

‘Before that the best cure I could find was Johnson’s tear free baby shampoo.

‘I would wash my eye out with it and the pain would go away, but it was only a temporary fix and the pain would always come back.

‘But I went to the opticians a few weeks ago after using the honey and she said she couldn’t find any trace of blepharitis.

‘I have been all over the world and seen terrible illnesses in places where people can’t afford to go to the doctor. So to find a cure that’s so cheap could help so many people.

Professor Rose Cooper from the University of Wales Institute Cardiff is looking at how manuka honey interacts with three types of bacteria that commonly infest wounds: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Group A Streptococci and Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Her group has found that honey can interfere with the growth of these bacteria in a variety of ways and suggests that honey is an attractive option for the treatment of drug-resistant wound infections.

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