Many times, we wake up with an eye pain and redness that causes discomfort
throughout the day. The stye is a very common condition and although it causes
pain and can be annoying, it is not a very serious disease and has a good
prognosis.
WHAT IS A STYE?
A stye is a lesion in the form of a lump or nodule located on the eyelid. It can be
on either the lower or upper eyelid. It presents as a swollen, red bump that usually causes pain. It has a firm texture in the skin tissue of the eyelids. When there is a stye or a chalazion, which is a very similar lesion, there is an inflammation or infection of the glands that form the eyelid, it can appear at any age although it is very common in children because they are in constant contact with external factors, they are very dynamic and at any time of the day they can rub their eyes without realizing it. It usually appears in only one eye and very rarely in both eyes. The treatment for this type of infection is not very aggressive and the stye usually goes away naturally as it comes and goes away. In cases that the infection lasts a long time, it will be necessary a treatment but in general it has a good prognosis.
WHAT CAUSES A STYE?
A stye is caused by a bacterial infection by staphylococcus bacteria. This is a
group of bacteria that live in our body normally and do not cause any kind of
problem. But when they come into contact with some tissue that should not be or in the bloodstream for example can generate these infections that must be treated immediately. Staphylococcus can occur naturally on the skin or it can be transmitted from one person to another. If a person is infected by this bacterium, sharing a towel that is also infected is enough to spread this bacterium. It can even be transmitted with a wound, if there are people who naturally have this bacterium but if you have a wound and the bacteria comes in contact with the wound and is able to enter the circulatory system, the symptoms are very serious and it is important to see a doctor immediately.
Hygiene is very important in these cases and in general in the daily routine. It
should also be noted that people who have a weak immune system or suffer from some type of chronic disease are more likely to contract this type of infection.
Staphylococcus can cause mild to very serious infections. Keep in mind that these are not bacteria that should be in the blood or in the bones and if this type of bacteria spreads through the body it can cause very serious diseases that need to be treated.
When there is an infection of this bacteria in the eyelid glands, these glands
become obstructed and the internal liquid is poured into the neighboring
sebaceous glands thus generating the inflammation and the lump is generated.
The stye can also be generated as a result of blepharitis which is another type of
eye infection that causes swelling of the entire eyelid generating scales.
As we have mentioned before, an episode of stress can generate a weaker immune system and the reproduction of this bacteria can occur generating the stye.
Allergies can also cause styes. It can appear as a result of an allergy that generates blepharitis and from there, the infection spreads and generates the redness and a lump that characterizes the stye. Allergic skin diseases such as acne rosacea or seborrhea can cause the appearance of a stye.
HOW CAN WE DETECT THE INFECTION OF THIS BACTERIA?
Staphylococcal infection can only be safely diagnosed with a sample that is
theoretically infected with staphylococcus bacteria, for example a skin tissue.
Normally the doctor will do the relevant tests if there is a coincidence of
symptoms and evaluate whether the infection exists or not.
TYPES OF STYES
There are two types of styes according to their location:
- Internal stye: caused by infection of the eyelid glands. They appear on the
inner side of the lower or upper eyelid and are usually more painful than
the external stye because the sensation of a foreign body is much greater. - External stye: caused by infection of the eyelash glands. They appear on
the external side of the eyelid.
SYMPTOMS
The main symptoms of stye are:
- Reddened lump on the edge of the eyelid: it has a very firm and localized
shape. - Foreign body sensation: sometimes it can be annoying.
- Pain
- Photophobia: sensitivity to light
- Tearing
There are cases of styes that, due to their shape or general size, generate a lot of
pressure on the eye. This continuous pressure on the eye can affect the cornea of the eyeball. The cornea is the transparent layer that covers the pupil and iris and is responsible for refracting the image on the retina so that we can see. If there is pressure on this layer, even the slightest deformation of this layer occurs and this has side effects. With this pressure the layer is no longer a smooth and uniform structure and therefore the light entering from the outside is not refracted correctly in the retina and blurred vision can occur. In other words, directly, the stye creates pressure on the cornea and as a consequence can appear a blurred vision.
TREATMENT
The treatment of stye consists of:
- Antibiotic ointment: in case the pain is very strong and the symptoms
very exaggerated, the doctor will prescribe an antibiotic treatment to
accelerate the treatment. - Hygiene of the eyelids: it consists in rubbing gently and constantly the
eyelids with warm compresses. This can be done several times a day.
Constant eyelid hygiene helps to drain the pus inside the stye. When the
pus begins to drain, it reduces the stye very effectively and the symptoms
will disappear as the days go by. The most important factor during hygiene
is to wash your hands thoroughly and not to touch the non-infected eye in
any way. - Surgical intervention: consists in the removal of the stye with its pertinent
drainage in case the previous treatments have not been effective.
Obviously, it is not necessary to try to burst the stye by oneself as a treatment
method.
It is also very important that if there is an infection to avoid sharing personal items such as a towel and wash your hands frequently as this will prevent the spread of this bacterium that can be transmitted when there is contact with the infected area.
HOW TO PREVENT AN EYE INFECTION?
The most important factors to avoid this type of eye infections are:
- Always wash your hands thoroughly.
- Avoid rubbing your eyes on a regular basis.
- If there is any type of eyelid inflammation, it is advisable not to use contact
lenses or make-up. - Maintain a very good eye hygiene every day. When you get up in the
morning, just as you wash your face, you should also take good care of
your eyelid hygiene, especially in the morning, and gently rub your eyelids
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