Saturday, May 16, 2009

stye-pain in the eye

What is a stye?

A stye is a tender, painful red bump located at the base of an eyelash or under or inside the eyelid. The medical term for a stye is hordeolum.

A stye results from an acute infection of the oil glands of the eyelid (meibomian glands) that occurs after these glands have become clogged. A stye also may arise from an infected hair follicle at the base of an eyelash. The term external hordeolum has been used to refer to a stye that develops at the base of an eyelash involving a hair follicle of the eyelid, whereas the term internal hordeolum refers to a stye arising due to an inflamed meibomian gland under the eyelid.

How we get the infection in the glands?
The commonest organism is staphylococcus, which is normally present on the skin and eyelid surface. The meibomian gland produces the oily secretions which help in tear film stability. When the mouths of these glands get clogged and some of the bacteria gain the access into the blocked gland, they proliferate there. A clogged gland is very fertile ground for these organisms. This converts into abscess and called as stye. All the local conditions which favor clogging of the glands openings are a reason for recurrent stye.

What are the signs and symptoms of a stye?

Eye Stye has various symptoms such as:
• Swelling in a small area or the entire eyelid.
• Redness of the eyelid itself.
• Discomfort when blinking.
• Frequent watering in the affected eye.
• Raised, swollen bump on the upper or lower eye lid.
• Pain and itch, over the affected area.
A common sign of a stye is a small, yellowish spot at the center of the bump that develops as pus expands in the area.



Who is most susceptible to the development of a stye?

Styes are quite common. People of all ages can develop a stye, with males and females are equally affected. People with chronic eye conditions blepheritis, seborrhea, allergic conjunctivitis, lice infestation etc, and people with chronic systemic diseases like diabetes mellitus, and chronic debilitating illnesses are more prone to develop stye. In many susceptible people, stress seems to trigger the development of a stye. Studies have shown that those who have high levels of blood lipids are more susceptible to blockages in the oil glands and suffer from recurrent styes.

What is the treatment for the stye?
There are hundreds of home remedies in circulation for the stye. Most of the patients must have used one or the other remedy before they reach to me. Some of them are simple (hot fomentation) and some are really dangerous (applying Limocol). As we don’t know what all is safe and what all is unsafe I will request all to use their common sense before applying anything to the eye.
Application of a warm compress or warm washcloth to the affected area for 10 minutes, four to six times a day, can speed drainage of the stye and aid in the relief of symptoms. Antibiotic eye drops along with warm compresses is a routine treatment for small and early stye.
A stye should not be pressed or squeezed to facilitate drainage until it has an opening on the surface. If a stye persists for several days, it requires a surgical drainage. This can be performed under local anesthesia as day care procedure.

Systemic (oral) antibiotics are recommended for persistent or multiple styes. It is also advised for large and non responding styes from previous treatment. Pain killer and anti inflammatory drugs are used to alleviate the pain.
Contact lenses and eye makeup should never be worn during treatment for a sty.

Are there any potential complications resulting from a stye?

Complications from a stye are rare. Stye is a small localized infection which may heal without any problem with treatment. Sometimes the infection may spread to other eyelash follicles, leading to multiple styes. Occasionally when infective organism is very notorious it may lead to widespread infection resulting in preseptal cellulitis.

When the abscess from the meibomein gland spread in the surrounding tissue, the oily secretion from the gland is directed to the nearby tissue rather than the mouth of the gland. This causes a slow grade inflammatory response and converts into a painless cyst. This is called as chalazion.
This is the most common complication that develops from a stye. Chalazion is painless and always a cosmetic problem only.
A chalazion can be treated by a small surgery where it is been opened by an incision and the walls of the gland is removed completely. The surgery is done under local anesthesia in cooperative patients.


Can a stye be prevented?

While it is impossible to completely prevent the development of a stye still good hygienic practices, including proper hand washing and resisting the frequent eye touch will reduce the frequency. Other measures that can help prevent stye include -

Do not share your eye makeup with anyone else.
Do not use your old makeup it may be contaminated.
Always keep your makeup in clean and closed place.
Do not rub your eyes.
Do not use old and contaminated eye drops in the eye.