Eye Styes
What are styes and what you can do about them
If you are
experiencing a painful red swelling on the edge of your
eyelid, the chances are that you are the victim of a
sty. Luckily, while styes can be uncomfortable or even
outright painful, they are not a danger to your eye or
to your eyesight.
Simply put, a
sty is a pimple that forms on your eyelid. Just as
pimples are often caused by inflammation of the oil
glands around the hair follicles on your skin, styes are
caused by inflammation of the glands surrounding the
follicles of your eyelashes. And just like pimples,
they usually come to a head, drain, and disappear in
just a few days.
Styes can only be passed from person
to person through direct contact. To lower the risk of
transmitting a sty, do not share your washcloths or
towels with others.
In most cases,
styes will disappear quickly without any intervention.
To ease pain and to speed the disappearance of a sty,
you can lay a moist, warm compress such as a hot
washcloth over the affected eye. Leave the compress on
your eye for ten to fifteen minutes at a time to help it
drain more quickly. Under no circumstances should you
attempt to “pop” a sty.
If you wear
contact lenses
try switching to glasses for the time being to help
reduce the inflammation.
If your sty does
not disappear within two weeks, or if it is causing
irritation by rubbing against your eye, you may need to
have it professionally drained. Consult with your
doctor for options.
If you
experience this problem frequently, your doctor can also
give you an antibacterial ointment that will kill the
staphylococcal bacteria before it can
inflame the glands of your eyes and form a sty.
