If you have swollen painful bump on your Eyelid or Eyelashes, you may be suffering from Styes.
What is Styes?
A Stye is a soft Red Bump that develops on the base of an Eyelash or Stye under an Eyelash or inside an Eye.
It is due to an infection of Sebaceous Glands of the Zeis that occurs at the base of an Eyelash. It may also be due to the infection of Apocrine Sweat Glands.
It may also be due to the result of Infections in Oil Glands of the Eyelid. It is also known as the Hordeolum. This Infection is dangerous in nature and it lasts for short time like 7 to 10 days.
Hordeolum
Photo by : wikipedia
This Infection cannot be resolved without any treatment. This Infection is caused by Staphylococcal Bacteria. It may occur due to the blockage of Oil Glands around Eyelashes or it can also be caused when a person is stressed.
Symptoms of Styes
Styes normally start with the Redness and softness in the infected area. The person may suffer from pain in the Eye and feel scratchy or discomforting.
The Eye may feel Bruised or sensitive to Light. Only 1 Stye appears at a time.
If a person has Styes in both Eyes, he will feel much more pain in the Eyes.
The symptoms are different for internal or external Eyes.
In case of Internal Stye, there may be a Red area or a Yellow spot, in the inner part of Eyelid. The affected area may swell.
Internal Styes are very painful than the external Styes. The internal Styes take a lot of time to develop.
For external Styes, a Yellow spot appears which may be filled with Pus, with a kind of Head on the top. These types of Styes appear close to the edge of Eyelid. These spots are warm and hurt on touching.
When the Stye grows, it swells and the person may feel discomfort due to blinking of Eye.
Watering of Eyes may also be a symptom of Styes. If the watering of Eyes is severe, then a Hordeolum may be developed inside the Eye.
Sometimes, the condition is so severe that it feels as there is a rupture and the Pus comes out of the Stye.
Causes of Styes
The main cause of Stye is Staphylococcus Aureus Bacteria Infection. These Bacteria may infect the Oily Glands of the body. It may be developed due to the blockage of these Oily Glands in the body.
The growth of Stye is enhanced due to poor nutrition, Improper sleep, rubbing of Eyes lack of proper hygiene.
When a person has Styes, he may not use his Towel with others, so that this disease may not spread.
Styes take few days to develop and take some time to heal on its own.
Sometimes, it needs medical intervention to get cure. There are some other reasons of this disease other than Bacterial Infection.
Other Reasons of Styes
There are some other reasons for getting Styes too. It is not healthy to get Stye very frequently. Frequent Styes lead to the following complications
- The infection can spread from 1 Eyelid to the other. In this case, An Eye Ointment is needed for the treatment of the infection.
- Poor Nutrition can cause possibility of infections because the Immune system may not be very strong.
- If the Styes reoccur, it may be a sign of Diabetes.
Styes in Children
Styes occur more in children than in Adults. If a child has a Stye at some age, there may be a possibility that he may suffer from severe Stye next time.
This disease is more common in children because there power of resistance is low. Children also squeeze the affected area which increases the pain and may cause more swelling.
Styes and Chalazia
The Styes and Chalazia both are swollen bumps found inside or on the edge of Eyelids.
A Stye is a Red lump that develops on the edge of Eyelid and Chalazia is a small lump that is formed due to the blockage in the Oil producing Glands of the body.
Chalazia occur in the Eyelids far from the edge of the Eyelid away from the place where a Stye can occur.
Chalazia are larger than a Stye but it is less painful. Sometimes when the Stye heals, it is converted in to Chalazia.
Is Stye Transmittable?
Styes are transmittable only through direct contact. If a person who has Stye touches his eyes and then touches any other surface without washing Hands, it may infect that surface too. If another person touches the Styes and doesn’t wash Hands, he may get this infection and develop a Stye. One people wants to avoid the Stye, they should maintain perfect hygiene. People having Styes should avoid wearing lenses and makeup.
Treatment for Styes
A Stye should never be compressed, pressed or squeezed; this can make the infection worse.
If the Stye does not disappear, then the infection has to be treated with the local Anesthesia by doctors.
Antibiotic Ointment is used for Stye Eye treatment.
Ways to Get Rid of Stye
Surgery becomes necessary if any other treatment does not work.
Eye make should be totally avoided in this case because it can boost the infection.
Medical aid is taken to relieve the symptoms. There are certain techniques for getting rid of Styes.
A medicine known as Neosporin is used for the treatment. It is very effective and it acts very quickly.
A strip of medicine is used; it stays on Eyelid for a long time.
Antibiotics for Styes
Antibiotics are mostly given to the patients who have Multiple Styes or have a Styes for a long time.
There are some Oral Antibiotics that helps in the treatment of Styes. Doxycycline is given to the patients who have too much infection.
The Antibiotics Ointments are used for Styes. An Ointment Polysporin is used for the Eye treatment. This Ointment is very helpful for the cure of Stye. This Antibiotic Ointment is applied before sleep. Sometimes Eye drops are also used for the treatment of Styes.
Surgery
The last option for Stye treatment is Surgery. If other treatment fails then patients have to go for this procedure. This surgery is done by an Ophthalmologist under the impact of local Anesthesia.
The removed Stye is mostly sent for Histopathological Test to check any possibility of Skin Cancer.
Prognosis of Styes
Styes are often harmless, they does not cause complications in the Human body. It does not affect the Eyesight and not even cause intraocular damage. They mostly heal on their own.
Few patients need surgical treatment. The Prognosis will be better, if people do not squeeze the Stye. If the condition becomes worse then a doctor’s aid is required.
Stye
Photo by : wikimedia
Prevention of Styes
The main principle behind prevention of Stye is to maintain the personal Hygiene.
The people suffering from Stye should take care of their personal hygiene so that it is not spread to others and the patients should be safe from this disease in future. Patients should follow some guidelines which can protect them this disease.
When people wakeup in the morning, they should wash their Eyelids with the Warm Water, it will reduce the possibility of occurrence of Styes.
The Eyes can also be cleaned with the Soap and the Water. The Eyes should not be rubbed with Hands, this can also prevent Stye.
Girls should avoid using Mascaras, Eye Liner and Eye Shadows with others.
Eyes should be protected from Dust and Air Pollution to avoid the infection of Stye.
The people who use Contact Lenses, they should maintain the cleanliness. The Contact Lenses can become infected by Bacteria so, it should be monitored. Besides all these reasons, Stress also contributes in the formation of Styes.
