It is a common problem that most people suffer from occasionally and even though it is just an inflammation, a stye is extremely painful. By definition, a stye is an acute inflammation of the eyelid gland called the Zeiss gland. A stye is caused due to bacterial infections. When a stye develops, it causes a localised, painful, hard swelling near the margin of the eyelid and its symptoms include acute inflammation and redness of the overlying skin.
facts and cures
The best way to get rid of a stye is to get the pus out; this gives the individual immediate relief from the pain. In addition, antibiotic eye drops and ointments can also be prescribed to help relieve the pain, but these should be used only after consultation with a qualified doctor. In some cases, if the pain does not subside after applying an ointment or using the eye drops, the individual may be put on oral antibiotics. Analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs are also helpful in controlling the pain and help decrease swelling.If the stye remains on the eye for a prolonged period of time and no treatment is helping, the individual should then see an eye specialist to cure the same. Similarly, if the infection is spreading to the other eye, one should consult an eye specialist immediately. Styes are likely to become severe and spread faster in diabetics and infants and therefore, such patients should seek medical help as early as possible.
In addition, people who get styes repeatedly should also consult an eye specialist. The reason the styes reappear is due to uncontrolled diabetes, anaemia and/or refractive errors and therefore, they should be investigated. Either ways, whether or not one gets a stye, it is always wise to undergo regular eye checks, control diabetes (if one suffers from the same) and of course, sound hygiene and a balanced diet will help prevent styes and several other health problems.
As there is no prescribed and specific cure for styes, there are several misconceptions about how they are caused and how one can treat them. Several people believe that styes occur due to heat and the consumption of food like mangoes and pickles. It is also a common belief that drinking coconut water and buttermilk will help in alleviating a stye but none of the above is true or factual information.
The writer is a senior consultant at the Apollo hospitals.