An eye stye is a small red bump that usually occurs along the borders of the eye lid, both lower and upper side. Eye styes can also be internal, which means it appears inside the eyelid. Eye styes can cause you a lot of unease and they can be extremely painful.
What Causes Eye Styes
Eye stye is an infection of the eye that is caused by bacteria on our skin. We have glands that are along the edge of the eyelids. These glands are called Meibomian glands. The glands produce oily substances that stop the eyes tear film from drying out. If the bacteria on our skin get in contact with the eye glands, there is no way for the oils to clear out. The oil gets accumulated in the glands, causing bulging of the gland.
Styes are also formed from the bacteria in your nose. These types of bacteria are called staphylococcal and they easily transfer to your eyes, especially if you rub your nose and eye at the same time. The germs on your nose can transfer to your eye if you are not careful.
Treatments
A stye on the eye can be extremely painful and cause a lot of irritability. Hence, you should get it treated right away for relief of pain and a speedy recovery. There are many ways to treat your eye stye. Here are a few treatments mentioned below:
- Keep a warm compress on your eye for 5 to 10 minutes. This helps the stye to become soft and eventually disappear. You can use a warm cloth for this by soaking it in warm water. Repeat this at least three times a day for a faster recovery.
- Keep your hands clean by washing them thoroughly. This prevents any bacterial substance from worsening your stye.
- Avoid applying makeup for a few days if you have a stye, as more bacteria will irritate the stye more. If you’re applying makeup, be sure to use clean makeup brushes or wash them thoroughly before you use them and avoid any product from getting into your eye.
- Never try to pop your eye stye with your fingers or even a pin. Popping it will only worsen it as the pus accumulated can spread all over your skin and cause infections. Let it break itself.
- If you wear contact lenses, avoid wearing them for some time until the stye breaks off itself or if you still choose to wear them, make sure your lenses don’t touch your stye when you’re taking them off and putting them on.
- If you’re experiencing a burning sensation, you can use any lubricating eye ointments for relieving pain and burning.
- If the stye doesn’t seem to get any better within a few days, then you should immediately consult a doctor. The doctor might give you an injection for the swelling to simmer down. They might also prescribe you an antibiotic ointment. If the stye starts to have a negative effect on your vision, then a very small medical procedure will be carried out by your doctor.
It is very important to go through these treatments so that you can prevent getting a stye and potentially causing damage to your eyes.
