Most people visit us in emergency with considerable pain and say I have a bump on my eye, its very painful and I don't know why? This is generally a stye and appears on the eye at a wrong time, spoiling your good looks and causing severe pain and disruption of your routine.
What is a stye?
A Stye is a swelling or small nodule on the eye caused due to bacterial infection. The eyelid appears swollen, red and sometimes with yellow pus pointing due to accumulation of pus causing pain in the eye. Once the pus pointing bursts, it relieves the pain but the look is cosmetically very disfiguring which is very annoying. If you ever had one , you will know how bothersome it is.
What causes it?
This can occur in any season but people generally present more in winter season as the oil glands get blocked and the pent up secretions get infected to form a nodule, forming a stye. Adults and children who have a habit of repeatedly touching their eyes with hands are more prone to get it due to dust blocking the base of eyelashes and oil glands. It occurs more in females as they tend to sleep overnight with make up on, which clogs up the oil glands.
People with dandruff or seborrheic blepharitis (dry flakes over the eyelid margins), dry eyes and blepharitis due to skin conditions like rosacea, atopy etc are more prone to get the stye.
Untreated refractive errors (glasses power) in children and sometimes adults too, may also cause repeated stye, due to strain on the eyes.
Treatment of Stye
The stye is generally harmless and heals on its own in about a week. Visiting your eye doctor will help you deal with this agony.
There are few things that you can start at home to get rid of this stye a little faster and also hasten the healing process.
Home remedies:
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If you get a stye, stop using eye make up and discard all the old cosmetics.
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Use pre-moistened eyelid cleansing wipes or eyelids to clean your eyes regularly before
sleeping.
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You can clean your eyelids with diluted baby shampoo too.
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Apply warm compresses for around 5-10 minutes, three times a day. It should be warm moist
compresses. Take a washcloth and dip it in warm water and squeeze it and then place it over
your eyelid. This helps the stye to open up faster, drain and heal faster.
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You can take a pain killer to reduce your pain, incase it is really intolerable.
Once you visit your eye doctor, she/ he may advise warm compresses along with local application of antibiotic ointment and sometimes, oral antibiotics.
In case the stye is too big or longstanding with chance of causing severe infection, your ophthalmologist may advise a small procedure to drain the stye, to prevent disfigurement and relieve your pain.
Prevention
Proper eyelid hygiene can reduce your chances of getting one. Clean your eyelids and face thoroughly before sleeping, especially if you wear an eye make up.
If you are prone for skin problems like rosacea or atopy, kindly follow the instructions and prescription schedule given by your dermatologist.
Dr Rasheena Bansal, is a Consultant Paediatric Ophthalmology, Squint & Neuro- ophthalmology at PEDIA VISION Children Eye Care Centre and Dr Pattnaik’s Laser Eye Institute since 2008. She is also a visiting Consultant at Sitaram Bhartia Institute, Delhi. She has a special interest and expertise in Children Eye disorders, Ocular Motility disorders and Squint. Her areas of specialization include Refractive errors, Myopia control, Paediatric Cataract Surgery, Amblyopia (Lazy eye), Strabismus (Squint), Watery eyes, Nystagmus and Neuro- ophthalmological disorders. You can reach her for all your queries on +91-8130780790.
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