What Is A Stye?
A stye (also called a sty or hordeolum) is a painful, red bump that forms near the edge of the eyelid. It is caused by the infection at the base of an eyelash (in the follicle).
Although sties usually affect only one eye at a time, it is also possible to develop more than one stye, even on the same lid.
Basically, there are two types of stye :
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External Styes (external hordeolum)
This is the more common type of stye and it appears along the base of an eyelash, due to infection in the root (follicle) of an eyelash. From a small red lump, it can develop into a collection of pus, which may look like yellow pus-filled acne. The edge of the eyelid around it becomes reddened and swollen, and the lid is painful.
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Internal Styes (internal hordeolum)
This type is quite uncommon. It arises when a small oil gland (meibomian gland) within the eyelid becomes infected. From the outside, it is visible only as a swelling. This is because the infection comes to a head on the inner surface of the eyelid, against the eyeball. People with internal stye often feel a dull aching in the eyelid, with the sensation of a lump.
Sties may cause discomfort, but they are usually not serious and can get better on their own. They are pretty common, especially in children.
What Are The Symptoms?
The main symptom is a swollen, painful, red bump on the edge of the eyelid. You also may have the following:
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Foreign body sensation in the eye (particularly with blinking)
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A scratchy feeling in the eye
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Eye pressure
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Tearing of the eye
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Discharge from the eye.
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Blurred vision (if thick pus from within the sty spreads over the eye’s surface.)
What Causes A Sty To Develop?
A sty is caused by an infection of oil glands in the eyelid. The usual bacteria that causes the infection is known as Staphylococcus aureus which is commonly found on healthy skin. Most of the time, this naturally occurring bacteria does no harm. However, it can be trapped in the glands, where it causes infections such as sties.
There are several risk factors that increased the risk of developing a sty, some of which are:
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Frequently touching or rubbing your eyes (especially with unwashed hands)
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Inserting contact lenses without proper hand hygiene
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Leaving on eye makeup overnight
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Using expired cosmetics
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Having rosacea, a skin condition characterized by facial redness.
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Having blepharitis, a chronic inflammation of the eyelids in which the become swollen, dry and itchy.
A chalazion is another condition that causes inflammation of the eyelid. It occurs when there’s a blockage in one of the small oil glands (Meibomian or Zeiss), just behind the eyelashes. The difference between a hordeolum and chalazion is that chalazion usually isn’t painful and tends to be most prominent on the inner side of the eyelid.
Can A Stye Be Prevented or Avoided?
Yes, just like any other infections, you can prevent a stye from developing. The best way to avoid getting sties is to practice good hygiene. Always wash your hands with soap and warm water before touching your eyes. If it’s possible, keep your hands away from your eyes.
Make sure you keep your eyes clean by removing makeup before you sleep. Throw away old cosmetics and do not share makeup with others.
If you wear contact lens, reduce the risk of eye infections by always making sure you disinfect your lenses correctly, also make sure to wash your hands before putting them in or taking them out.
How Can I Treat A Stye?
Most sties can get better on their own and need no medical treatment. They should go away in 7 to 10 days. The best home treatment to get rid of a stye is to apply warm compress as often as possible. Put a warm, damp compress on the affected eye for 5 to 10 minutes, 3 or 4 times a day. The compress should be warm but not so hot that it burns your eyelid.
Do not try to pop, squeeze or cut the pus from a sty. Doing so can cause infection to spread and also result in scarring.
Also make sure to keep the area around your eyes clean at all time. Avoid wearing eye makeup or contact lenses while the sty heals.
Sometimes, antibiotic eyedrops or topical antibiotic creams may be needed. If your eyelid infection persists or spreads beyond your eyelid, you may need to take oral antibiotics.
In some cases, your doctor will have to perform an incision of the stye to drain the pus, if the stye does not get better by itself. This helps speed healing and relieve the pain and swelling.
If the lump is still painful and hot after a few days, get your doctor to check your eyes.
References:
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Mayo Clinic. (2018). Sty - Symptoms and causes. [online] Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sty/symptoms-causes/syc-20378017.
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staff, f. (2018). Sty - How to Treat Sties | familydoctor.org. [online] familydoctor.org. Available at: https://familydoctor.org/condition/sty/.
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Lowth, M. (2016). Eye Stye | Causes and Treatment. [online] Patient.info. Available at: https://patient.info/eye-care/swollen-eyelid/stye.
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Styes. (2019). [ebook] Victoria: Better Health Channel, pp.1 & 2. Available at: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/styes?viewAsPdf=true.
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Segre, L. (2018). Eye styes: Causes, symptoms, treatments. [online] Allaboutvision.com. Available at: https://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/styes.htm.
Image Credit:
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https://familydoctor.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/73036561_l.jpg
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https://dovemed-prod-k8s.s3.amazonaws.com/media/images/Hordeolum.width-750.jpg
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https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Stye02.jpg/300px-Stye02.jpg
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https://www.paypervids.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/How-to-Get-Rid-of-a-Stye-678x381.jpg
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http://shinagawa.ph/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Featured-Photo-shutterstock_369919781.jpg
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https://www.nkcf.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Blepharitis.jpg
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http://d1yboe6750e2cu.cloudfront.net/i/450adf81f4b74f509a14a39338dfbb6a1e55a491
9. https://healthprep.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/12-4.jpg
10. https://assets.babycenter.com/ims/2013/04/stye_wide.jpg?width=600
