We talked about a common and benign disease, but quite annoying and unsightly.
It is a benign discomfort and usually begins to disappear in just two or three days. While the discomfort of suffering from a stye is there, it is good advice to relieve the discomfort by applying a wet towel with warm water to the affected eye.
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Symptoms
The signs and symptoms that you suffer from a stye in the eye are as follows:
- A red lump on the outer or inner eyelid
- Pain or uncomfortable sensation in the eyelid
- Mild swelling and/or redness of the affected area
- Gritty sensation
- Tearing
Stye should not be confused with another similar disorder: chalazion. The latter appears when there is an obstruction of a sebaceous gland of the eyelid, just on the inside of the eyelash. Chalazion is usually painless. The treatments for both situations are similar, as well as all the care and remedies that are usually recommended.
Should I see a doctor?
The vast majority of cases do not present any complications. When a stye appears, the first step to take is to apply a wet towel with warm water for 10 minutes, several times a day, to help the blockage begin to drain.
You should consult a specialist doctor in the following cases:
- The stye does not improve and it has been more than 48 hours since it appeared
- The swelling becomes more visible and spreads to other areas of the face
Causes
The cause of a stye is simple: it is an infection of the sebaceous glands of the eyelid. In its appearance a bacterium intervenes, the so-called staphylococcus, which is the one that produces the infection in most cases.
Risks and prevention
People who have any of these habits have a higher risk of suffering from an eyelid stye:
- touching eyes with dirty hands
- Not removing make-up before going to sleep
- Wearing contact lenses, especially without careful hygiene habits
- Using expired or spoiled makeup products
Other diseases that increase the predisposition to suffer styes are:
- Blepharitis – a chronic inflammation in the eyelid
- Rosacea : a skin disease that causes redness on the skin of the face
Treatments
In general, the stye comes and goes without further ado . In most cases, no specific treatment is required. It should be noted, however, that recurrences are quite common.
To treat a stye that just won’t go away, a doctor may prescribe a variety of treatments, such as:
1. Antibiotic treatment
If the symptoms so require, the doctor may decide to prescribe antibiotic drops, or a topical ointment to apply to the affected eyelid.
2. Surgery
In extreme cases, and in order to drain the pus retained in the persistent stye, the doctor may decide to make a small cut. This process quickly relieves symptoms and, if all goes well, the stye will not go away.
Home remedies
Until the moment when the stye does not drain and disappears on its own, there are several tips to keep in mind:
- Avoid touching the stye with your fingers . Even if you feel a little itchy or are tempted to pop the “pimple”, this idea is completely wrong. You will only get the infection to spread and the problem to get worse.
- Maintain good eye hygiene . You can gently wash the eyelid with mild soap and water. Remember not to rub too hard or put pressure on the stye.
- Don’t wear contact lenses. For a few days, better avoid wearing glasses. They usually attract bacteria that can slow down the drainage process of the stye.
- Apply a wet towel of warm water. As we have already mentioned, this simple remedy is the most recommended when it comes to keeping the discomfort under control and helping the eyelid to make its drainage process faster.
References
- Deibel, JP; Cowling, K. (2013). Ocular inflammation and infection. Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America.
- Kloppe Villegas, P.; Guinness Diaz, Y. (2001). Chalazion. Stye. Blepharitis. In Ruiz de Aldana Perez and others. Manual of diagnosis and medical therapy in primary care (3rd edition). Madrid: Diaz de Santos Editions.
- Tamparo, Carol; Lewis, Marcia. (2011). Diseases of the Human Body. Philadelphia, PA: F.A Davis Company.
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.
