What Is A Stye?
A stye is the infection of the sebaceous gland near the eyelashes. It is a common painful infection of the eyelid, which usually looks like a small yellow pus-filled spot on the edge of the eyelid. Most styes get better on their own.
The medical name for a stye is hordeolum or hordeola( in case there is more than one). It is a common infection that usually develops quickly over a few days. Usually, only the eye gets affected, although you can create one or more than one stye at a time, even on the same eyelid. There are usually two types of stye: external styes, the most common type, and internal stye, which is relatively uncommon.
How To Get Rid Of Stye?
Most styes burst or go away on their own after several days without any medical treatment, but cleaning it will help bring the pus out. So, it will drain on its own.
You can make a list of things to get rid of it faster:
1) Hot compress
This is the most effective way to treat a stye. It helps to ease a sore and draw the pus to the head.
Wet a clean washcloth with warm water but ensure that the water is not too hot. Wring the cloth, so it’s damp, but the water is not dripping. Then gently keep it over your eye for up to 5 to 10 minutes. Don’t squeeze or try to pop up the stye. You can do this 3 to 4 times a day.
2)Use a warm tea bag
Instead of using a warm cloth compress, you can also use a warm teabag. Black tea works best because it helps reduce swelling and has some antibacterial properties.
Add boiled water to a mug, then drop a tea bag as if you were preparing tea to drink. Let them steep for about 1 minute and wait until the tea bag gets cool enough to place over your eye, then keep it on your vision for about 5 to 10 minutes.
Use a separate tea bag for each of the eyes. You can also use a tea bag for discomfort associated with a stye.
3) Take OTC pain medication
If the stye is causing severe pain and interferes with your daily work, you need to consult with the doctor. Take an Over Counter (OTC ) pain medication such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen to get relief from the pain. Follow the package instructions to ensure you are taking the correct dosage.
4) Do not wear makeup and contact lenses
Avoid wearing makeup and contact lenses if you have a stye. As makeup can irritate the eye even more and delay the healing process, you may also have a high chance of transferring bacteria to your makeup and tools and spreading the infection to another eye.
Wash your reusable brushes regularly, and you should have to throw out the eye product that is over 3 months old.
If you wear contact lenses, stick with glasses until your stye heals fully.
5) Use antibiotic ointments
To help a mild stye go away, you can apply an OTC ointment to the area but see a dermatologist or eye doctor to treat a stye that:
- Is excessively painful
- interrupt your vision
- won’t heal up with OTC treatment
To these OTC ointments, pull the lid of the eye having stye and apply about a quarter of cream inside the eyelid. Be sure that any product you use is used in or on the eye. Avoid using topical steroids for your style that may also cause side effects.
6) Gently massage the area to promote drainage
Massage the area gently with your neat and clean hands. You can massage the area with lid wipes to promote drainage. Once the stye drains, keep the site clean by avoiding touching your eyes. You can stop rubbing if it hurts.
7) Do not pop a stye
Do not pop a stye or even squeeze it. It might seem tempting, but pressing will release pus and may spread the infections to the next eye. So, it is better to see a doctor if the styes are inside your eyelid.
