A Stye Is An Eyelid / Eyelash Infection
A stye is a bacterial infection usually involving one, sometimes more, of the small glands at the base of your eyelashes that holds them in place. They occur anywhere along the eyelash line or eyelid and resemble a pimple in appearance.
Depending on the location and the person, they can be large or small, painless, or painful. When fully developed, they usually contain a pus-like substance or cloudy fluid in the same way a pimple does.
The Do’s And Do Nots Of Eye Styes
Most styes go away on their own in about a week. They are fundamentally a pimple at the base of your eyelash. Unlike face pimples, do not be tempted to squeeze your stye or pierce it with sharp objects as it could cause damage to the eye.
- Apply a warm compress for 5 to 10 minutes several times a day. Use a clean washcloth or towel soaked in warm water. Keep the eye closed, and do not apply too much pressure as the delicate eye tissue may bruise, leaving you with a black eye.
- Keep the area clean and avoid touching or rubbing the eye.
- Don’t squeeze the stye. You will be tempted but resist the urge!
- Don’t use eye make-up or wear contact lenses.
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/styes
When To Seek Medical Assessment
In most cases, they do not require any medical assessment. There are always exceptions to the general rule, and any of the following should see you call your GP or health care provider for an assessment if:
- The site doesn’t heal within ten days.
- The stye becomes more painful or swollen after several days of home treatment.
- It spreads, and more begin to develop.
- The person develops and displays a fever or chills.
- The person develops any vision alterations from normal.
- The person has recurring styes.
- The entire eyelid or eye itself is red or swollen.
- Redness spreads around the eye or the cheek.
- The person has an abnormal immune system condition like diabetes or HIV.
Have Styes? Here’s Why They Come Back (and What You Can Do About It)
High Risk For Stye Individuals
Anyone with one or more of the following three conditions may be at a higher risk of developing frequent and reoccurring styes:
Diabetes: There is a proven link between high blood sugar and styes. Diabetes can also cause a lot of other ocular diseases, so it is important to see an optometrist or ophthalmologist regularly if you have been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
Blepharitis: Blepharitis is a condition involving eyelid inflammation caused by bacteria build-up near the eye. If you struggle with blepharitis, you might also deal with recurring styes.
Ocular rosacea: Rosacea is a chronic skin condition that causes redness on the face. Oculus rosacea affects the eyes, causes burning and inflammation, and may increase your likelihood of developing a stye.
Your optometrist can diagnose eye conditions and help you manage them if you find yourself struggling with chronic swelling, discomfort, and redness of the eyes.
All things considered, styes are a part of life. Some people are more prone to them than others. While they can be painful and look unsightly, they are doing their job in containing the object that caused them to develop, killing it off and then expelling it from the eye. They will do this in their own sweet time, and all you are required to do is keep the eye clean and go about your business.
If you are a little on the vain side or love to dress up like a pirate, an eye patch could be used for the time you are away from the house, or if you are working or living in a dusty environment while your stye is brewing.
What Happens When A Stye Pops On Its Own
Styes often break on their own, releasing the infected fluid to drain away naturally. In other cases, the swelling may resolve overnight without bursting when the body’s immune system defeats the infection from within. Once the infection (pus) drains out of the stye, the lump is free to disburse, quickly healing the area. Often this process can take place while the person is asleep. They wake to find the stye gone and little evidence it had been there the day before.
Can A Stye Pop Up Overnight
Yes. Call a hordeolum, this type of stye is a blockage of glands on either the inner or the outer lid. A hordeolum can appear and disappear within hours, often presenting and disappearing overnight leaving the person to wake with a red pimple-like bump on their eyelid, or find the previous day’s stye has completely vanished, as if by magic.
