Stye – Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

CAUSES:

• Stye is mainly caused due to bacteria known as Staphylococcus which moves from the skin of eyelid to eyelash follicles.
• Chronic conditions of Blepharitis may also lead to stye.
• Other causes include diabetes, dandruff, high serum liquids secreted by Meibomian glands and even due to previous occurrence of styes.

SYMPTOMS:

• Hordeolum is red and painful.
• Watery discharge.
• Sensitivity to light.
• At the same time, a person can have more than one stye.
• They appear similar to that of a pimple filled with pus.

Stye

PREVENTION:

• Good personal hygiene is very essential in the prevention of stye.
• Frequent washing of hands and fingers before touching the eyelids
• To prevent infection, wash eyes every morning so as to remove the excess oil discharge accumulated overnight.

TREATMENT:

• Allow the hordeolum to drain the pus on its own and do not try to squeeze it.
• Antibiotic cream must be applied to the stye if it does not disappear or when it recurs and this condition may be due to an underlying bacterial infection.

HYGIENIC TREATMENT:

• Moisten a washcloth using warm water and apply it on one eyelid by closing the other eye.
• Repeat the same for the other eye, but by using another facecloth.
• Never use the same cloth.
• Apply it for 5minutes per eye for at least 4 times a day to relieve the pain and to drain the pus.
• If the hordeolum is larger in size, the doctor may advice lancing in order to drain the fluid and prevent infection.

Closed eye showing stye

NOTE:

• The infection can be diagnosed based upon the appearance of the skin.
• In general cases, it usually drains its pus and gets cured of its own after few days.
• In peculiar cases they may not heal forming a grainy tissue known as chalazion.
• Chalazion forms when the Meibomian gland in the eyelid gets inflamed and later blocked.