What is a Stye?
A stye or hordeolum is a pimple-like bump or boil that grows on the edge of the eyelid.
The cause of a sty is generally a bacterial infection and usually only appears on one eyelid.
Although styes often appear on the outer eyelid, they can sometimes also appear on the inside of the eyelid.
The bumps that grow inside can be more painful than the ones that grow outside. However, they do not cause visual disturbances.
In most cases, it will start to go away on its own within a few days.
In the meantime, you may be able to relieve the pain or discomfort of a stye by applying a warm washcloth to your eyelid.
This condition is generally not contagious, but small amounts of bacteria can spread from the site. This is why it is important to always wash your hands before and after touching a pimple.
In addition, you should also wash your pillowcases frequently to help prevent the spread of bacteria. Also, avoid touching the stye to reduce the spread of bacteria and irritation.
Symptoms of Styes
Signs and symptoms include:
- A red bump on the eyelid that looks like a boil or pimple.
- Sore eyelids.
- Swollen eyelids.
Another condition that can cause inflammation of the eyelid is chalazion.
A chalazion occurs when there is a blockage in one of the small oil glands near the eyelashes.
Unlike styes, chalazia are usually not painful and tend to be most prominent on the inner side of the eyelid.
However, the treatment for both conditions is similar. Most of these conditions are not harmful to the eyes and will not affect the ability to see clearly.
Causes of Styes
The main cause of styes is infection with Staphylococcus bacteria. These bacteria live on human skin without causing disease.
Touching pimples with dirty hands will increase the risk because there may be bacteria on those hands.
Infection can also occur in the roots of the eyelashes, sweat glands, and oil glands. To reduce the risk, avoid touching your eyes with dirty hands.
Inflammation of the eyelids or blepharitis can also trigger the risk of styes appearing.
Especially if you have the disease for a long time. The cause is complications due to rosacea skin disease and bacterial infections. Styes are often considered the same as blepharitis, even though they are different. So, you should know, this is the difference between blepharitis and styes.
Stye Risk Factors
There are several factors that can increase the risk of getting this infection, namely:
- Frequently touching the eyes with unwashed hands.
- Inserting contact lenses without thoroughly disinfecting or washing your hands first.
- Leave eye makeup on overnight.
- Using old or expired cosmetics.
- Have blepharitis, which is chronic inflammation along the edges of the eyelids.
- Having rosacea, a skin condition characterized by redness on the face.
- Have certain skin conditions, such as acne rosacea or dandruff (seborrheic dermatitis).
- Having diabetes.
- Have dry skin.
- Experiencing hormonal changes.
- Have high lipid levels (bad cholesterol).
Stye Diagnosis
Some conditions are more severe and require a visit to a doctor.
Additionally, if vision seems to be affected or if the condition seems to be getting worse instead of better, contact a doctor immediately.
To confirm the diagnosis and cause, an eye specialist will examine your eyelids and ask about additional symptoms you are experiencing. From the results of the examination, the doctor can determine the right treatment.
Further testing is usually not necessary unless there are unusual characteristics.
This may include distortion of the structures surrounding the eyelid, such as the tear duct, loss of eyelashes, or the appearance of a chalazion in an unusual place.
Stye Treatment
In most cases, this infection will clear up on its own within 7–21 days.
Especially if the stye has burst and is oozing pus. However, never try to squeeze or break the stye yourself. Because this can trigger the spread of infection.
You can try the following simple steps to reduce the symptoms and discomfort caused by styes:
- Maintain eye hygiene by washing the affected area of the eyelids with a mild soap.
- Avoid using eye cosmetics until completely healed.
- Compress your eyelids with warm water. Do this 2–4 times a day with a towel soaked in warm water.
- Avoid using contact lenses until completely healed.
- Taking over-the-counter pain relievers, such as paracetamol, to relieve eye pain.
Recommended Stye Medication
There are several common brands of sty medication that you can easily get, such as:
- Cendo Xitrol Eye Ointment 3.5 g. Cendo Xitrol is a medicine to treat bacterial infections in the eye that cause red or swollen eyes and irritation of the conjunctiva and cornea.
- Erymed 2% Gel 10 g. Is an antibiotic gel preparation used for the treatment of styes in the form of acne, especially inflamed/protruding/red/pus-containing acne.
- Cendo Mycos Eye Ointment 3.5 g. This medicine is a sterile antibiotic ointment for the eyes that is used as an anti-inflammatory in the eye area. It also functions to treat eye inflammation accompanied by infections such as conjunctivitis, and other eye infections that are sensitive to Chloramphenicol.
- Cendo Fenicol 1% Eye Ointment 3.5 g. Contains 1% Chloramphenicol which works as an antibiotic and is effective against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. This medicine is in the form of a sterile antibiotic ointment and is useful for treating infections in the area around the eyes.
- Cendo Gentamicin 0.3% Eye Ointment 3.5 g. With gentamicin content, this drug is able to treat infections caused by various bacteria. This drug can also be used to treat inflammation in the eye area accompanied by infection by certain bacteria.
- Polidemisin Eye Ointment 3.5 g. Can be used to treat responsive eye inflammation and bacterial infections in the area around the eye. This medicine is available in the form of eye drops and eye ointment.
Stye Complications
Since the cause of styes is usually a bacterial infection, there is a risk of complications that can occur if this condition is not treated properly. One of them is the development of styes into cysts.
Cysts can form due to blockage of glands in the eyelid (chalazion), or the spread of infection to the tissue around the eyelid (preseptal cellulitis).
In addition, deformity or changes in the shape of the eye and impaired vision are also common complications.
This bacterial infection can also recur if you do not maintain good eye hygiene.
Stye Prevention
To prevent this infectious disease, you can do several things, such as:
- Wash your hands. You should wash your hands with soap and warm water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer several times a day, especially before touching your face. If you haven’t washed your hands, try not to touch your eyes.
- Be careful when using cosmetics. Reduce the risk of recurrent eye infections by throwing away old and expired cosmetics. Do not share cosmetics with others and do not wear eye makeup overnight or forget to remove it.
- Make sure your contact lenses are always clean. If you wear contact lenses, wash your hands thoroughly before handling them and follow your doctor’s advice for disinfecting them.
- Use a warm compress. If you’ve had this condition before, using a warm compress regularly can help prevent it from coming back.
- Manage blepharitis. If you have blepharitis, follow your doctor’s instructions for caring for your eyes.
When to See a Doctor?
Conditions that start to bother you and have other accompanying symptoms should not be ignored at all. You can contact a doctor immediately if:
- The condition does not begin to improve after 48 hours;
- Redness and swelling involving the entire eyelid or extending to the cheek or other parts of the face.
Immediately go to the nearest hospital to undergo an examination and determine the appropriate treatment.