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A small area of redness and pain on the margin of your eyelid may indicate that you have a stye, known in medical terms as external hordeolum. A stye is a blocked gland at the edge of the lid which has become infected by bacteria, usually Staphylococcus aureus.
Once the stye has 'pointed', it can usually be expressed (squeezed gently to empty its contents), after which the lids should be cleaned. Treatment with the ointment should be continued until symptoms have cleared. Sometimes it is necessary for the stye to be lanced by an eye care practitioner to assist with expression.
Styes are caused by bacteria, usually Staphylococci species. These bacteria are a normal part of the skin flora, but sometimes can get into the wrong place, like the follicle of an eyelash, by rubbing first your nose, then your eye, which is when a stye forms.
Signs of a stye are pain, redness, tenderness and swelling in the area, then a small swollen pimple-like area appears. Eventually, the pimple comes to a head, the pus is released, the pain settles and the whole thing heals. Sometimes just the stye area is swollen, or the entire eyelid may swell. You may notice frequent watering in the affected eye, a feeling like something is in the eye or increased light sensitivity.
If possible, remove the eyelash which is in the pimple. Bathing the eye in warm water will speed up the process of the pimple coming to a head, called pointing. If the stye is becoming very large and painful, see your doctor, since it may need to be opened up by the doctor, and an antibiotic ointment given. Most styes heal within a few days on their own or with hot compress treatment. Hot compresses applied for 10 or 15 minutes three to four times a day over the course of several days relieve pain and bring the stye to a head, much like a pimple. The stye ruptures and drains, then heals. Don't pop styes like a pimple; allow them to rupture on their own. If possible, remove the eyelash which is in the pimple. If you are frequently plagued by styes, your eyecare practitioner may prescribe an antibiotic ointment to prevent recurrences. Styes formed inside the eyelid either disappear completely or rarely rupture on their own, and they can be more serious. These styes may need to be opened and drained by your eyecare practitioner. Often mistaken for a stye, a chalazion is an enlarged blocked oil gland in the eyelid. A chalazion mimics a stye for the first few days, then turns into a painless hard, round bump later on. Most chalazions are further from the eyelid edge than styes. Although the same treatment speeds the healing of a chalazion, it may linger from one month to several months. If the chalazion remains after several months, your eyecare practitioner may drain it or inject a steroid to spur healing. For more information of Styes and its treatment:
Source(s): All above information & images are based on an article written by Gretchyn Bailey allaboutvision.com and by an article on health.iafrica.com. All rights reserved by respective owners. For our full credit and copyright information please view our Credit List.
Disclaimer: Any information displayed here is just for educational purposes, and may not be taken as an expert advice and should not be applied in life without consulting your eye doctor/specialist. We here by take no responsiblity of the accuracy of the above content as they have been taken from various sources. |
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