Styes are not serious, but they’re uncomfortable and irritating. If you’ve experienced this small infection, you’ll know just how annoying they are. Learn more about styes, how they form, and how you can treat and prevent them.
As always, if you need help with a sty right now, you can turn to your eye doctor for help. Call your medical provider today for assistance.
What Is a Sty?
A sty is a small infected lump on your eyelid. Though most styes form on top of the eyelid, some form on the underside. If you notice a small red swollen mass in this location, a sty is the most likely answer. As a reference, most styes look like a pimple.
Though styes are generally harmless, they aren’t comfortable. Most are very tender. Depending on your sty’s size and location, you may feel it every time you blink, or you may feel it throbbing. Some people report their eyelids swelling around the sty, a feeling that something is in their eye, or that the sty causes them to tear up.
All these symptoms are very normal, and usually there’s nothing to worry about—the sty will most likely go away on its own soon enough. However, if your face begins to swell or become red beyond your eyelids to other parts of your face, or if you start experiencing changes in your vision, you should seek out medical attention right away.
How Do Styes Form?
Like pimples, styes are caused by bacteria infecting the oil glands in your skin, though in this case the infection occurs in the glands in the eyelid. Most styes are caused by staphylococcal bacteria, which is contagious—if you have a sty, don’t share a pillowcase or a washcloth with anyone until its better. Additionally, try to keep your hands away from your eyes, and wash them if you do touch your eyes to avoid spreading bacteria to others.
Usually, the infection that causes a sty begins when you introduce bacteria to the area. You may have:
- Inserted your contacts without washing your hands or disinfecting the lenses
- Used expired makeup or shared makeup
- Forgotten to wash your makeup brushes
- Rubbed your eyes with unwashed hands
- Left eye makeup on overnight
- Gotten debris in your eye, like dust, that carried bacteria with it
Though these actions don’t always cause you to form a sty, they increase your risk. You can help prevent future styes by avoiding these risks in the future. For example, you can replace your eye makeup every six months, wash your makeup brushes, and wear eye protection when you know conditions will be dusty.
How Do You Treat Styes?
Most styes heal naturally, and you don’t need to go see a doctor unless you exhibit serious symptoms like spreading swelling or vision changes. Usually, all you need to do is alleviate the symptoms until the sty heals on its own.
You can lessen your discomfort and help the style heal by trying the following:
- Avoid eye makeup and contacts until the sty is gone. Touching the area will only irritate it further and may introduce yet more bacteria.
- Apply a warm, wet compress. Try running warm water over a washcloth, then pressing it gently over your affected eye for five to 10 minutes, running more warm water over the cloth as necessary. The wet heat will feel pleasant and may encourage the sty to drain faster. Usually, doctors recommend you use this therapy about three to six times per day until the sty heals.
- Take an over-the-counter pain reliever. Though this won’t help the sty heal faster, it will make you more comfortable in the meantime.
- Avoid touching the sty. Though it may look like a pimple, trying to pop it is not a good idea. The skin around your eyes is very sensitive. Additionally, squeezing the sty may cause the bacteria to spread.
Most styes heal quickly. Usually, they swell for about three days before they rupture and drain, and they heal completely within a few days after draining. If your sty is bothering you, you should rest assured that it should be gone soon.
However, some styes need medical care. If your sty is persistent and either keeps returning or never heals, go to an eye doctor. You may need the doctor to rupture the sty by hand to help it drain, or you may need antibiotic eye drops to get rid of the bacteria causing the sty. Your doctor will know what to do to help.
If you have a sty, you can lessen your discomfort and aid your eyelid’s healing through self-care, and you can make sure to be more careful in the future. However, if you need medical attention, call your eye doctor right away.
If you think your contacts might have caused your sty, contact All About Eyes. We can help you sort through your options and learn better eye hygiene so you can avoid this problem in the future.