No, castor oil does not improve your vision – but it does have some eye health benefits

No, castor oil does not improve your vision – but it does have some eye health benefits

TikTok users claim that using castor oil on the eyes can help improve vision and eliminate eye floaters and glaucoma. According to ophthalmologists, there is no scientific data to support these claims. They say that you should never put castor oil directly in your eyes. Castor oil may have some eye health benefits, including helping to relieve dry eyes and possibly supporting eyelash growth.

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Can using castor oil in your eyes help improve vision and other eye conditions? According to a recent TikTok, the answer is yes - but experts warn against believing everything you see on the social media site.

The new claim appears to come from a TikTok user who had been using castor oil for 14 days at the time of her video showing her rubbing castor oil on her eyelids, eyelashes and under-eye area.

"Don't worry about it getting in your eye, it's going to get in your eye a little bit, and that's a good thing," she told viewers, "because it reduces inflammation and improves blood flow to the eye."

According to the TikTok user, the results with castor oil are real: Before starting the treatment, she had to “wear glasses” when reading. “Now I can read more without glasses,” she said, “which should say a lot.”

Other TikTok users have also jumped on the castor oil for eyesight bandwagon - the hashtag #castoroilforeyesight has received more than three million views. Other videos also claim that castor oil can eliminate eye floaters and even glaucoma.

But is there any truth to these claims about castor oil and vision/eye health? Here's what you should know.

Health Benefits of Castor Oil

Does castor oil help improve vision?

Castor oil isn't necessarily new. This type of vegetable oil – made by cold pressing the seeds of the castor bean plant – is often used to relieve dry eyes and constipation. It is found in many personal care products, including soaps, cosmetics, and hair and skin products.

Although TikTok claims that castor oil can improve vision or other eye conditions like cataracts, experts say there is no research to back up this information.

"Castor oil is a natural antioxidant that may theoretically help prevent cataract progression, but there are no studies compelling enough to support this claim," said Vivian Shibayama, OD, an optometrist at UCLA HealthHealth. “Cataracts are a result of aging and antioxidants help prevent aging.”

Mina Massaro-Giordano, MD, a professor of clinical ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania, agreed that castor oil can help slow — but not reverse — cataract progression, but said there is "no way [castor oil] improves your vision can change your refractive error." Shibayama agreed: "I don't think applying castor oil to the eyelids can improve your vision."

According to Massaro-Giordano, castor oil is also unlikely to have any effect on floaters—and possible anecdotal benefits are more related to keeping the eyes hydrated. “Maybe you won’t see as many floaters with your eyes,” she said.

And although castor oil has been studied as an ingredient to treat glaucoma, it is used more as an aid to drug delivery rather than as a sole treatment.

Eye Health Benefits of Castor Oil

Castor oil is unlikely to help improve vision or reverse cataracts, but it may be helpful for the eyes in other ways, including treating dry eyes and blepharitis (eye inflammation) and possibly promoting eyelash and eyebrow growth.

According to Shibayama, castor oil is naturally anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial. "It also improves the stability of your tear film by reducing evaporation," she said, which can help with dry eyes by keeping the eyes hydrated.

The anti-inflammatory effects of castor oil may also be helpful for blepharitis. A small 2020 study of 26 people found that those who used a 100% cold-pressed castor oil formulation on an eyelid base twice daily for four weeks saw an improvement in blepharitis-related symptoms. According to researchers, “castor oil shows promise as a potential treatment for blepharitis.”

The effect of castor oil on blepharitis may also support eyelash growth. “If you take care of eyelid inflammation, you will have healthier eyelashes,” said Massaro-Giordano, who is also co-director of the Penn Dry Eye & Ocular Surface Center. However, it is not known whether castor oil promotes eyelash growth in people without blepharitis. There's also no research to suggest that castor oil promotes eyebrow growth, Massaro-Giordano added.

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How to Use Castor Oil Safely

Castor oil is generally safe to use, including around the eyes. “Many of my patients use castor oil,” Massaro-Giordano said.

The exception to this is the use of oilInyour eyes. “It is relatively safe to use for the eyelid margin,” Shibayama said. "[But] I wouldn't use anything in the eyes that isn't formulated for the eyes."

Massaro-Giordano said: If you want to use castor oil near your eyes, you need to use the right kind. "When patients ask me, I say, make sure it's a purified, sterile form of castor oil that's free of hexane," she said. It's also important not to use castor oil near the eyes when wearing contact lenses because the oil could leave a film on them, Shibayama said.

And while castor oil is widely tolerated, according to Massaro-Giordano, some people may be allergic to the ingredient or simply dislike the way it feels near their eyes. “Some people just can’t take it,” she said.

If you're interested in using castor oil for a treatment that it might help with, such as dry eyes or blepharitis, it's best to speak with an eye doctor before trying it. They may have more specific recommendations about using or purchasing castor oil, or suggest a different treatment entirely.