Can House Plants Improve Your Eye Health

Indoors we look around. We don’t see it but it’s there. It doesn’t come from industrial chimneys spewing black smoke and it’s tough to acknowledge but it’s always there. We’re talking, of course, about indoor air pollution.

Depending on where you live, our indoor air is two to five times more polluted than the air outdoors.

Why Is Our Indoor Air Quality So Poor?

Contaminants usually come from a lack of ventilation, faulty heating systems, or blocked air-conditioning ducts.

There’s also VOCs – aka volatile organic compounds – which are toxic and come from cleaning agents, paints, carpet, and furniture.

There are biological contaminants introduced to homes by pests, pets, dust mites, mold, and more.

Where We First Feel Air Pollution Impact is Our Eyes

There’s a lot that can unfortunately interfere with our indoor air quality. Considering 90% of the average human life is spent indoors, this puts our eyes at risk.

The most common symptom is things like chronic dry eyes syndrome, redness, and itching.

Unfortunately, silk plants don’t quite do the trick when it comes to indoor air filtration. To tackle indoor air pollution, you’ve got to go for the real thing.

Why House Plants Are Important

Indoor plants absorb toxins. This is done through a decontamination process known as phytoremediation.

Although we like to highlight fake plant benefits, we never try to discount the value of the real thing.

Multiple studies have shown the right kind of plants can remove as much as 90% of harmful airborne chemicals in 24 hours or less.

What House Plants Are Best for Eye Health

The best plants for eye health are a short list. Here are just a few of the house plants we recommend.

• Lady Palm is a plant that can reach as high as six feet though it takes some time to grow. Lady palm plants are known best for absorbing ammonia – a common ingredient in cleaners and dyes. 

• English Ivy reduces airborne fecal matter in the air known to cause eye irritation and bacterial conjunctivitis. It neutralizes formaldehyde in the air and also absorbs trace amounts of benzene, a chemical very common in home offices and from office equipment.

• Peace Lily is one of the few flowering plants that also purify the air. Peace lilies can successfully cut down on the spread of mold, they reduce the spread of mildew which makes them excellent for placement in the bathroom, and they also absorb acetone emitted from electronics and house-cleaning agents.

• Boston Fern plants are a living room staple and a very efficient air purifier. Boston ferns tackle and remove formaldehyde, benzene, xylene, and other indoor pollutants. The drawback of these is that they require a lot of watering and sunlight. This can make a Boston fern unappealing to most homeowners.

• Spider Plants are very affordable and they thrive and reproduce quickly even in low light. Formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, benzene molecules, mold, and allergens are all absorbed through spider plants. If you have dust allergies, these are also a great option.