Stye is a local infection of the eyelid that causes a red, tender bump near the edge of the eyelid.
There are two types of stye.
- External: Stye at the base of the eyelashes.
- Inside: Stye in a small sebaceous gland in the eyelid.
The infection is caused by bacteria and can occur at the base of the eyelashes สนใจสมัคร? คลิกที่นี่เพื่อเริ่มต้น (external stye) or in a small sebaceous gland in the eyelid (internal stye).
What causes stye?
Stye is caused by Staphylococcus bacteria. This bacteria is found in the nose and can easily enter the eyes when you rub your nose and then your eyes.
Bacteria can cause inflammation or infection in the eyelash follicle – the sebaceous gland that drains oil through a duct into the eyelashes. When the duct becomes blocked, oil cannot drain out and gets trapped in the gland. The gland becomes swollen and inflamed, leading to a stye.
What are the signs and symptoms of a stye?
Two noticeable symptoms of a stye are a lump on the eyelid and a swollen eyelid.
Symptoms of a stye include:
- pain
- red
- Swollen eyelids
- Easy to touch and hurt
- Drooping eyelid
- Eye mucus (semi-hard flakes that stick around the eyelids)
- Feeling a burning pain
After the symptoms appear, small bumps will appear in the affected area, which is often accompanied by eye swelling. Sometimes the eyes are swollen only in the affected area, but sometimes the entire eyelid may be swollen.
5 Things You Should Know About Stye
1. Stye generally does not cause any vision problems.
In general, a stye should not affect your ability to see well up close or at a distance.
2. Stye is a contagious disease.
If you have a stye, you don’t want the bacteria from inside your eye to come into contact with someone else’s eye, as this could cause them to develop a stye or other infection.
To reduce the spread of bacteria that cause stye, keep your eyes and hands clean and do not share pillowcases, sheets, handkerchiefs or towels with others.
3. Most stye will heal on its own within a few days.
Using a warm compress for 10-15 minutes, 3-4 times a day for several days will help you heal faster.
It will help relieve the pain and shrink the stye to a pimple-like head. Most stye opens, the fluid drains out and heals without further treatment.
Although most stye clears up with warm compresses, some cases require medical treatment or even surgical removal of the pus.
4. Do not “squeeze” the stye.
You should not squeeze a stye just like you should not pop a pimple, but rather let it burst on its own.
A stye that occurs inside the eyelid (called an internal stye) may not rupture and go away on its own. Since this type of stye can be more dangerous, it may require an eye care professional to surgically open it to drain the pus.
If you have frequent stye, your eye care professional may consider prescribing an antibiotic ointment to prevent recurrence and may recommend that you use moist eyelid wipes to clean your eyelids daily to reduce the risk of developing stye and blepharitis .
5. Other eye problems that may occur with stye
When you have a stye, you may have frequent tears in the affected eye, become more sensitive to light, and feel like something is “in” your eye