Human urine, which contains urea and other waste products, can be harmful when applied to such sensitive areas.
Published Jul 05, 2025 | 8:22 AM ⚊ Updated Jul 05, 2025 | 8:22 AM
Urine eyewash. (Screengrab)
Synopsis: A viral video promoting urine eyewash by self-proclaimed “medicine-free life coach” Nupur Pittie has sparked outrage and concern. Medical experts warn it’s dangerous, citing risks of serious eye infections and vision loss. Despite some beliefs in urine therapy, doctors stress it’s unproven and unsafe. They further urge relying on science-backed eye care practices, not misleading social media trends.
In a calm, earthy-toned setting, with a soft music playing in the background, a woman named Nupur Pittie, claiming to be a “Medicine-Free Life Coach”, is seen talking about the supposed health benefits of urine eyewash.
Yes, “human urine eyewash”.
The video quickly gained public attention sparking controversy. As it went viral, many experts and viewers began pointing out the potential risks of using human urine in the eyes.
Utter lunacy- you’ll achieve nothing except inflaming your eyes and needing to go to an ophthalmologist. This obsession with excreta is sickening pic.twitter.com/SZDE3pTe4E
— Ajay Kamath (@ajay43) June 25, 2025
Human urine, which contains urea and other waste products, can be harmful when applied to such sensitive areas.
Amid growing backlash and health concerns being raised, the video was eventually taken down by the creator without any explanation. However, a quick look at the creator’s profile reveals several other videos promoting urine therapy, including drinking one’s own urine and detailing its supposed health benefits.
While such claims continue to circulate online, a 2024 case from Noida, where a cook was caught mixing urine into rotis, leading to the entire family being hospitalized serves as a disturbing reminder of the health risks and hygiene concerns tied to human waste.
Speaking to South First, Dr E Ravindra Mohan, director of Trinethra Eye Care, Chennai, addressed the viral video promoting urine as an eyewash, calling the practice “detrimental to eye health” and warning that it offers “no potentially provable benefit whatsoever,” he said such videos might attract attention for their novelty, but should not be mistaken for legitimate medical advice.
“Nature has not designed urine to be put into the eye,” he said, adding, “So, on that basis itself, there is no role for it.”
He acknowledged that such practices have been reported not just in India but in parts of Africa and Jamaica as well. A small, though not insignificant, number of people continue to believe in the therapeutic use of urine, including for eye-related conditions like conjunctivitis or pink eye. “Some of these beliefs are rooted in naturopathy and are based on the idea that bodily secretions contain protective elements,” he noted.
From a scientific standpoint, Dr Kumar explained that urine itself, in the absence of any urinary infection, is sterile but this doesn’t mean it is safe to use. “The passage around the urethra or the place from where the urine comes out finally is not sterile,” he clarified.
For this reason, some reports recommend using “midstream urine”, that is, the portion after the initial flow, to avoid surface contaminants.
Despite this, Dr Kumar made it clear that even midstream urine should not be considered safe for such practices. “The proof of the benefit is not established in any even vaguely scientific way,” he said. “There are clear-cut reports of infections having worsened or even persons having lost their eyes after use of urine as therapy or for eyewash,” he warned.
He also emphasized that effective and safe treatments for eye conditions already exist in modern medicine. “There are many modern treatments available in ophthalmic practice wherein conditions like dry eye or eye infections can be treated very effectively and very well,” he said. He reiterated, “promoting unproven and risky remedies through social media is not just misleading, but dangerous.”
Echoing a similar concern, Dr N Veerabhadra Rao, a Vitreo-Retinal Surgeon at Bengaluru Nethralaya, also dismissed the trend as deeply harmful.
“This is a very, very bad practice,” said Dr Veerabhadra, who regularly treats patients with vision-threatening infections. “Just because we can post anything easily on social media, people are behaving like this without any accountability.”
He explained that human urine contains bacteria like E. coli, which, when introduced into the eyes, can cause serious infections. “These bacteria can cause severe eye infections and completely damage eye health. I encounter many patients with endogenous endophthalmitis, a severe infection in the retina and surrounding structures, which is usually caused by urinary microorganisms spreading through the bloodstream,” he said.
“I have treated many young and old patients who lost their eyesight this way and are now permanently blind in one eye. If a person has even an undetectable infection in their body, using their urine like this makes it even more dangerous,” he added.
While viral trends may promote untested and unsafe remedies, credible institutions like the National Eye Institute (NEI) recommend simple, science-backed practices to maintain healthy vision.
Here are ten practical tips shared by NEI to care for your eyes the right way.
These simple, science-backed tips remind us that true eye care lies in informed choices and time-tested wisdom, not in viral trends or unverified remedies shared online.
(Edited by Sumavarsha)
