What to do about a Stye

eye problemYou may not think much about the occasional bout with dry eyes or eye strain that you feel at the end of the day. Certain eye problems are less common so, if they do develop, could cause unnecessary stress. One such problem is the stye. There is nothing fancy nor too serious about a stye, but this is an eye condition that you want to resolve as quickly as possible.

 What is a stye?

To put it bluntly, a stye is a pimple. At least that is what this bump will look like at some point. Initially, what you may notice the most is the discomfort of the swollen oil gland. Only then might you look more closely and see a red bump at the edge of one of your eyelids. This could be on the inside edge or the outer edge. Either way, it is likely to be noticeably uncomfortable.

Soothing the Stye

The good news is that a stye will more than likely clear up on its own. However, there are a few things that you can do to help the healing process. A few home care remedies for a stye include:

  • Remove your contact lenses, if you wear them, and do not put anything into your eye until your stye has cleared.
  • As much as possible, keep the skin around the eyes completely free of makeup or other cosmetic products, including moisturizer.
  • Keep the eyelids as clean as possible by gently wiping with a cleansing pad a few times a day.
  • If you do not want to purchase cleansing pads, just add a few drops of tear-free baby shampoo to a small cup of water and use that to wipe the eyelids down. Rinse with warm water until no residue remains.
  • DO NOT squeeze the stye like you would a pimple (you shouldn’t do that, either). Instead, apply a warm compress for 10 to 15 minutes. This will soften and move fluid to the surface. You may have to do this several times, but the contents of the stye will naturally seep out and the issue will resolve.

As we stated, a stye will more than likely clear up on its own. If, after a few days of home care, your stye persists, contact us for professional care.

 

 

Posted in: Dry Eyes, Eye Care, Preventive Eye Care

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