Styes are swollen red nodule affecting the eyelid margins, clinically known as external hordeolums.
External hordeolum (styes), are acute infections of the lash follicle, and its associated gland of zeis or moll.
On the other hand, Internal Hordeolums are staphylococcal infections of the Meibomian gland that are often managed with oral antibiotics .
Styes are generally harmless and can self-resolve by a week.
They can feel painful, uncomfortable and are unpleasant to look at. Like a pimple, they are filled with pus and may have an obvious head where pus is discharged.
There are some home remedies that can help them heal faster and tips to prevent the spread of infection to family members.
- Wash hands before touching your eye
- Clean around your eyelids with a gentle cleanser. There are also cleansing eyelid wipes available at your local pharmacy.
- Avoid sharing facial and hand towels.
- Stop wearing make-up until your stye has healed.
- Discard old make-up applicators
- Stop wearing contact lenses.
- Soak facial towel with warm water and wring towel so that it’s not dripping
- Apply warm compress to stye for 5 mins 2 to 3 times a day.
- The warm compress helps to bring the stye to a head like a pimple.
- Do not squeeze or pop the stye because this can spread infection.
- Allow it to drain and resolve on its own
At times, it can be hard to assess if the infection is simply localised to the base of the lash and warm compresses show minimal improvement. In these cases, antibiotic eye drops may be required to control and speed up the resolution of the infection. Please contact us for an appointment so that we can assess your stye and prescribe you an appropriate management plan for a quick and safe recovery.
