What Are My Stye Treatment Options?

A stye or a sty as it is also called is a swollen, painful, reddish bump that forms on the eyelashes or under the eyelid. Though a stye can be painful and inconvenient and it can also be quite unsightly, many of these bacterial infections disappear in about a week without any stye treatment.

Often the only treatment that one needs is simple home remedies however sometimes complications or severe symptoms may require medical attention.

These simple home remedies can be used as stye treatment –

  • A warm compress applied to the affected eye several times a day for 10 to 15 minutes is an effective treatment to relieve the discomfort that it causes. This helps in healing and draining of the stye as well.
  • Sometimes a crusted discharge can appear on or around the eyelids and the stye treatment for this could be done using a mild shampoo or wash. Be sure to do this with the eyes closed.
  • Puncturing, pricking or squeezing should never form a part of the treatment since this could result in an infection and other complications and could also result in more styes forming.
  • Over the counter pain medication can be used to ease pain and swelling that a stye can cause.
  • Make up can be an irritant and as such should be avoided if one has a stye.
  • Also those who wear contact lenses should discontinue their use for the duration of the stye infection.

Sometimes a stye could linger for a long time in which case the stye treatment should include a medical opinion and attention –

  • If a stye is very painful, the doctor may prescribe pain medication as part of the treatment to ease pain and also reduce swelling.
  • Sometimes antibiotics may be prescribed to help rid the area of infection – ointments that could be antibiotic or steroidal in nature could form part of stye treatment; and in some cases antibiotic pills or oral medication may also be prescribed. This is may be prescribed particularly in the case of recurrent or persistent styes. When infection spreads to the other eyelashes or follicles, this can result in one after another or multiple styes.
  • Sometimes treatment could include a surgical draining of the infected area; which could be done under a local anesthetic for adults and even general anesthesia in case of small children.
  • Sometimes a complication such as chalazion (which is a cyst that forms due to the scarring of the eyelid glands) can require special treatment since this can potentially cause a visible deformity in the eye, can deform the cornea and even partially impair vision.
  • Another complication that may require medical attention could be a generalized infection of the eyelid. This condition requires stye treatment so that it doesn’t result in cosmetic problems such as disruption of eyelash growth.

It is possible to avoid styes by maintaining good hygiene, and in the event a stye does occur, home stye treatments will sort out the problem in a vast majority of cases.