7 ways to treat or get rid of a stye

Styes stem from a bacterial infection and usually resolve, with or without treatment, in 1–2 weeks. Warm compresses and careful cleaning may help relieve discomfort.

A stye is a painful, inflamed bump that develops on an eyelid or at the base of the eyelashes. The medical name for a stye a hordeolum,

However, there are a number of things a person can do to get rid of a stye. Keep reading to learn more about them, as well as some causes, symptoms, and reasons to see a doctor.

The following home remedies may help ease the pain of a stye:

1. Warm compresses

Share on PinterestA number of home remedies may ease the pain of a stye.

Put a very warm, but not hot or scalding, wet compress on the eye for short periods of time a few times per day.

This can help open up the glands and drain the stye more quickly. It may temporarily ease the pain.

However, one study found no conclusive evidence that this technique helps heal the stye.

2. Eye hygiene

It is important to keep the eye area clean. Styes are contagious, which means that it is possible to spread the bacteria to other people and to other parts of the eye. Bacteria that get into the stye can worsen the infection and slow healing.

Following these tips can help prevent the infection from getting worse:

• Avoid sharing any eye care products, including eye drops and eye makeup.
• Do not try to pop or squeeze the stye.
• Avoid rubbing or touching the eyes, unless to apply medication or compresses.
• Wash the hands with soap and water before and after touching the eye to apply medication or compresses.
• Gently rinse the eye if dirt or dust gets under the eyelid.
• Avoid wearing contact lenses until the stye heals.

3. Pain medication

Over-the-counter (OTC) pain medication may also ease the pain of a stye.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen can reduce inflammation and might therefore help with burning and swelling.

4. OTC stye remedies

Many drugstores sell eye drops that may help relieve the pain of styes. These remedies will not heal the stye, but they may help ease the pain.

Only apply these remedies with clean hands, and do not allow the tip of the bottle to touch the eye.

Very large styes and those that do not go away on their own may need medical treatment. A doctor may recommend one of the following options:

5. Antibiotics

Antibiotics can kill the bacteria that cause a stye to grow. This prevents the stye from spreading and eases the pain.

It is important to use the right antibiotic for the specific bacterium infecting the eye, so a person should not reuse old antibiotics. In most cases, a doctor will recommend antibiotics in the form of eye drops or eye cream.

In rare cases, a stye can cause a systemic infection that spreads to other areas of the body. People with weak immune systems are more vulnerable to such infections.

When this type of infection occurs, a person may need oral or intravenous antibiotics.

6. Steroids

Steroids can help the body heal itself more quickly. A doctor may inject a steroid into the stye to promote healing and reduce pain.

Steroids in the form of topical creams and eye drops may also help, but a person should talk to a doctor before trying these remedies.

7. Surgery

When a stye does not go away or turns into a chalazion, a doctor may recommend surgery. A chalazion is similar in appearance to a stye, but it results from a blocked oil gland rather than an infected oil gland.

A simple procedure, which a person usually undergoes under local anesthetic, can drain the stye. Draining it may also prevent the stye from coming back.

An external stye develops when one of the hair follicles of the eyelashes becomes infected. Internal styes affect the underside of the eyelid.

The bacterium Staphylococcus aureus causes most styes, though other bacteria, including other types of staph — such as Staphylococcus epidermis — can also cause styes.

Anyone can get a stye, because most people carry the type of staph that causes the infection.

Anything that causes these bacteria to spread to the eyes can increase the risk of developing a stye. Some potential risk factors include:

• having a weak immune system due to diabetes or another medical condition
• having blepharitis, a condition that causes skin irritation on the eyelid
• having a previous history of styes
• having high serum lipids
• having a skin condition such as rosacea
• sharing eye makeup with someone who has a stye
• using makeup or eye care products that irritate the eyes or block the hair follicles of the eyelids

A stye is a painful bump or lump near the eye. However, it may take several days for the bump to grow large enough to be visible.

Some people notice pain, burning, or irritation in the eye area before the bump appears.

Some other symptoms of a stye include:

• a red bump or lump that may resemble a pimple at either the base of the eyelashes or under the eyelid
• a sensation that something is in the eye
• sensitivity to light
• difficulty fully opening the eye, especially if it is very swollen
• oozing or irritation

A similar condition called a chalazion appears when the oil glands of the eyelid become clogged. Some chalazia are painless. These bumps can grow very large, and they sometimes appear after a stye heals.

Learn more about the differences between a chalazion and a stye here.

A person should see a doctor if:

• a stye does not get better with home treatment
• other signs of an infection, such as a fever, develop
• a baby or very young child has a stye
• a person with a stye has a recent history of eye injuries, such as being poked in the eye
• a person frequently gets styes or often experiences eyelid irritation
• a person with a stye has trouble seeing
• the eyelid swells shut
• there is blood oozing from the eyelid or the stye

Although most styes do not require medical treatment, a doctor can often prescribe antibiotics or pain relief medication to ease the symptoms and quickly clear the infection.

If symptoms interfere with daily life or become very painful, it is best to see a doctor.

Styes can be painful, but they are not usually dangerous. Home treatment is usually safe and effective.

For larger styes, surgical and antibiotic treatments are available.

Sometimes, a more serious condition may appear to be a stye, so if the symptoms do not improve or seem very severe, do not delay consulting a doctor.

Everything You Need to Know About Styes

If you have had a stye before, you know that you never, ever want to have one again.  The pain, discomfort, and just horrific appearance is enough to make anyone miserable.  If you have a red, sore to touch, and swollen eyelid, then stye is on the top of your list of culprits.

What is a Stye?

A stye (or hordeolum) is an acute bacterial infection of one of the oil glands found within eyelid.  In its active stages, it is painful, red, and feels like a localized tender nodule within the eyelid.  You may be able to see a white head, much like a pimple which is similar in etiology, but many styes form internally inside the eyelid so no head will ever develop.

What to do if you think you have a stye?

If you have an active stye, the best thing you can do is a hot massage.  Use a clean washcloth dipped in hot water, or you can get creative.  Common hot massage tools are to microwave a potato and wrap it in a cloth to prevent burning the eyelid, heat a bag of rice and wrap similarly, or heat up a tea bag.  All of these options retain heat better than a hot cloth will, but just be careful not to burn yourself.  When you have your preferred heated item, then apply it against your closed eyelid and gently massage over the tender area.  Do this as many times a day as you can.  The heat will help to open the clogged oil gland, breaking down the infective materials inside.

If your stye does not resolve with a hot massage in a day, you definitely need to see a doctor.  Your optometrist is trained to make sure that the pain in your eyelid is really a stye and not a different issue, like a viral herpes lesion, or a localized inflammation.  If you do indeed have a stye, your doctor is going to start more aggressive treatment.

Prescription Treatment Options

Most styes are internal– inside the eyelid, so an eye drop is not going to be a good way of delivering antibiotics to the area.  An oral antibiotic will actually work much better.  I typically use Augmentin or Keflex, since they are both cost effective generics, and don’t cause a lot of upset stomach issues.  Your doctor will discuss your medical history and any antibiotic allergies before determining the right oral antibiotic for you!

If there is discharge from the stye draining into the eye, an additional eye drop will be useful in this case.  An oral antibiotic will treat the stye, but all the bacteria that your eye is now being bathed in from the drainage is putting you at risk for an eye infection (instead of just an eyelid one!). Tobramycin or Polytrim drops are a first choice for me.  Again both are generics with good coverage, and tend to have very few antibiotic allergy issues.

Sometimes the eyelid is so swollen (called preseptal cellulitis) it is painful to even open the eye.  In these cases, I will often couple my oral antibiotic with a topical ointment with antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties.  Tobradex ointment is excellent for this use.  If finances are an issue, generic Maxitrol (neopolydex) ointment is a pretty good substitute.  The added anti-inflammatory coverage can really boost comfort as the antibiotic kills the infection.

Always, always, continue the hot massages, even after you start your doctor’s treatment.  You can only help break down the stye faster by continuing to apply heat.

Typically a stye will take no longer than 7-10 days to completely resolve with this treatment, if it is caught early enough.  If left alone too long, a scar tissue may develop inside the lid, called a chalazion.  It will feel like a non-tender, hardened lump or bead inside the lid.  A chalazion is not an infection, and no antibiotics will help.  Keep trying your warm massages to hopefully break the scar tissue down, but in most cases the scar will have to be surgically cut out of the eye to get complete resolution.

What Shouldn’t Happen


If you have a stye, there are a few quite scary changes that you need to be on the lookout for.  If you see any of these, please go straight to the ER.  Remember, your eye is directly connected to your brain, so if the bacterial infection breaks through past your eye you could have a life threatening problem!

It is NOT normal for you to have:

-fever
-double vision
-protrusion of the eye forward out of the socket
-vision loss
-severe pain with eye movement

If a orbital cellulitis (inflammation/infection that progresses behind the eye) develops, it requires urgent treatment — typically injections of antibiotics straight into your blood stream.  While progression of this nature is very rare, styes are common place and I have seen many patients wait until their infection is really at a dangerous point before they decide to seek medical help.  Treating a stye early is key; don’t wait until your eye is swollen shut to ask for help!

Do you have issues with styes over and over again?  Head to my next post on the topic of styes– how to break the cycle of recurring styes!

Treatment of barley. First aid and folk remedies

The eye hurts… we look in the mirror – well, it is, the edge of the eyelid is swollen, reddened, it hurts to touch. So this place will be barley. Barley is nothing more than inflammation of the hair follicle or sebaceous gland, located on the edge of the eyelid. A couple of days the swollen place hurts, then a head appears, just like an ordinary eel. When the barley is ripe, the head breaks and pus is released.

If a person’s immunity is good, barley will quickly pass and that’s it. But with poor immunity, several barleys can jump out at once. This is already a serious burden on the body’s defense system: the temperature rises, swelling of the lymph nodes may occur.

Therefore, this material on Weboptica.ru should not only help get rid of barley, but also avoid mistakes in its treatment.

First aid for barley

When barley is just beginning to appear, you can try to cauterize the place of future barley. Be careful that the substance with which you will cauterize the barley does not get into your eye. You can cauterize with medical alcohol, iodine or brilliant green. During cauterization, the diseased eye must be closed. It is best to use a cotton swab – it is thin enough not to get into the eye. In order to destroy the infection, it is enough to hold the alcoholized cotton wool on the sore spot for 20 minutes.

Drug treatment of barley

Like any other inflammation, barley is effectively treated with antibiotics. You can use an old proven albucid or a 1% solution of erythromycin or penicillin. If you are allergic to one of the antibiotics (for example, penicillin antibiotics), use an antibiotic from another group: for example, gentamicin. You can buy a more sorter antibiotic – tsiprolet or tobrex. It is necessary to bury antibiotics 3-5 times a day. At night, we put an ointment over the edge of the lower eyelid – tetracycline or erythromycin. When you buy an ointment and an antibiotic, check with the pharmacy that these are the medicines you need to treat your eye – the pharmacist should know which ointment you need. The ointment is applied as follows: wash your hands thoroughly, squeeze three or four millimeters of ointment out of the tube (the ointment is thick, it will not come off and fall off), slightly pull the lower eyelid down with your left hand, and carefully lay the ointment with your right hand. The ointment is so viscous that it will have to be literally brushed off on the edge of the eyelid to separate the desired part of the ointment. Apply the ointment just before going to bed – after the ointment is distributed under the lower eyelid, you will see objects as if through frosted glass, and this is very inconvenient.

Treatment of barley with heat

Many people recommend heating the barley. It really helps to get rid of barley, but there is one caveat. If you start heating the barley BEFORE the abscess opens, you risk only increasing inflammation. It is better to start heating when the barley has already opened, that is, a purulent discharge has appeared. At home, the best heating pad for barley will be a boiled egg – wrap it with a soft cloth so as not to burn the skin of the eyelid and apply it to the sore spot. Barley can be heated for a long time, for several hours.

Folk remedies for barley

There is also the wildest folk remedy for treating barley – spit in the eye of the patient … I think it is not necessary to explain that human saliva contains so many microbes that it will not be useful, but infect the eye some other infection is quite possible. If, nevertheless, a well-wisher was found and spat in your eye, after, uh … talk to this “esculapius”, wash your hands, rinse your eye with boiled water and drip an antibiotic.

Less traumatic folk remedies: 1 tablespoon of calendula flowers in a glass of boiling water. Brew, let it brew for half an hour and make lotions on the lower eyelid.

For the treatment of barley, you can make lotions from aloe: squeeze the juice from one leaf of aloe, add 10 parts of water (depending on how much juice is obtained) and make lotions 3 times a day.

It may happen that the barley does not open, but simply disappears – this is normal. To prevent barley from reappearing, take multivitamins, immunostimulating drugs. Try not to overcool. While you have barley, you can be a source of infection for your loved ones, especially children. Wash your hands often, towels and dishes should be strictly individual. Until the barley is ripe, you will be disturbed by unpleasant sensations: all the time you want to touch, rub the sore spot. Always wash your hands after touching your sore eye to keep others safe.

Weboptica.ru in no case advises you to squeeze out pus! This is not an ordinary pimple. By squeezing barley, you run the risk of spreading pathogenic bacteria to other membranes of the eye, and with the bloodstream, the infection can enter the brain. In general, it is undesirable to treat barley on your own, if possible, be sure to go to the optometrist.

Your doctor will prescribe you not only an antibiotic and ointment, you can get a referral for physiotherapy, such as UHF. It is necessary to visit a doctor if the stye has reappeared (one month after the treatment of the first stye) or if several styes occur at the same time. In this case, you will be prescribed not only local antibiotics, but also injections or oral antibiotics.

Barley is a serious signal from the body about immune problems. More fresh air, healthy food, less alcohol and cigarettes – this is the key to successful treatment of barley.

© Useful tips

All eye drops from barley – catalog, comparison, reviews – MOSCOWEYES.RU

Barley is a purulent inflammation in the eye area. Most often, this disease affects people with weakened immune systems. Important symptoms of the disease are pain and swelling at the root of the eyelash, that is, in the area of ​​​​the hair follicle. In this case, there is also pronounced discomfort, a slight increase in temperature, and a headache. If you do not respond to such changes in time, then a seal will soon appear in the area of ​​​​inflammation, from which pus is released. Normally, this occurs on the 3-4th day of inflammation and does not require additional intervention. However, the course of barley is not always so uncomplicated.

The development of inflammation in the area of ​​the hair follicle is associated with the penetration of an infectious agent, usually staphylococcus aureus. Against the background of the disease, pain, a feeling of heaviness, and swelling often occur.

Is it possible to prevent the development of barley?

This is possible with the timely start of treatment using tablets, drops, ointments. To speed up the ripening of barley when it appears, you can take a course of physiotherapy, for example, UHF. Every year there are new drugs for the treatment and prevention of this disease. Among them, antibacterial eye drops are the most effective.

General recommendations

Eye drops are active solutions that eliminate inflammation and relieve pain. They also prevent the spread of bacterial infection. These drops can be used for any inflammatory eye disease, including barley.

Pharmacies have a large selection of drugs, but it is better to have a specific drug recommended by an ophthalmologist. It is also important to follow the instructions of a specialist, because if you violate the rules for taking eye drops, you can not only not achieve the desired result, but also increase inflammation, transfer the infection to the fellow eye.

When instilling eye preparations:

• First, hold the vial in your hands and let the solution warm up;
• Instill the medicine only in front of a mirror in order to coordinate movements, get directly into the eye and not damage the surface of the cornea;
• Before instillation, hands must be thoroughly washed and dried; it is not recommended to wipe them with alcohol;
• The head must be thrown back when instilled;
• Pulling the lower eyelid down, the gaze should be directed upward;
• Then instill the solution into the inner corner of the eye;
• Instill into both eyes at once to avoid spread of infection;
• Dispense medication by blinking;
• If more than one drug is prescribed, then a time interval between instillations must be observed.

The frequency of instillation ranges from 2 to 7 times a day and depends on the intensity of the pathological process.

Which drops are most effective for barley?

Below is an overview of the main medicines used to treat stye.

Ofloxacin

Floxal is a powerful antibiotic used to treat bacterial eye infections. It can also be used as a prophylaxis, that is, with the first symptoms of barley. Ofloxacin has a bactericidal effect and helps in the fight against keratitis, conjunctivitis, suppuration of corneal ulcers, infection of the inner corners of the eye, dacryocystitis, eye burns. This antibiotic is active against Staphylococcus aureus, gram-positive microorganisms, streptococci, pneumococci and chlamydia.

If there is a viral infection of the eye, then Floxal can be prescribed to prevent the development of a secondary bacterial infection. The drug is more effective in case of damage to the anterior segment of the eye.

During treatment with ofloxacin, the symptoms of barley cease to bother patients after an average of two days. You can buy floxal in a pharmacy for 5 ml of a 0.3% solution in plastic bottles.

Contact lenses should not be worn during treatment, and in summer it is advisable to protect the eyes with sunglasses. Since, after the instillation of Floksal, vision may be temporarily blurred, it is better not to drive during this period.

Levomycetin

Levomycetin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic. Chloramphenicol, which is part of the drug, has a disinfecting effect, accelerates the ripening of barley, prevents the spread of infection, eliminates pain, inflammation, and redness. Against the background of therapy, the disease proceeds much faster (in 3-4 days).

Levomycetin penetrates well through the membranes of the eye, spreads evenly over its surface. The medicine is also distinguished by its low cost.

Levomycetin has practically no negative effect on the eye, including the lens. It is usually given as an instillation in both eyes to keep the bacterial infection from spreading.

At the same time, Levomycetin has many contraindications: hypersensitivity, psoriasis, eczema, liver and kidney failure, radiation therapy, mycosis, pregnancy and breastfeeding. Also, do not prescribe the drug to children under 10 years of age.

Since Levomycetin is very allergenic, a sensitivity test must be done before use. At the same time, 1 drop of the solution is instilled into one eye (healthy). Next, evaluate the reaction. If there is lacrimation, redness, sneezing, rash, itching, dizziness, then you can not use the drug to treat barley.

Tobrex

Tobramycin is excellent for treating stye and other childhood eye infections. This broad-spectrum antibiotic gently affects pathogenic microorganisms and prevents their development. The drug enters the cell and disrupts protein synthesis. In large doses, Tobrex causes the death of bacteria.

The effect of the drug is manifested in relation to Escherichia coli, Haemophilus influenzae, Staphylococcus, Citrobacter, Moraxella, Enterococcus, Klebsiella, Acinetobacter, even if resistant to gentamicin. However, anaerobic microorganism, streptococci D and chlamydia, are resistant to Tobrex.

Prescribed tobramycin for the treatment of various eye infections: conjunctivitis, keratitis, blepharitis, barley, and also in the postoperative period for the prevention of infections. It can be used even in newborn patients. In this category, it is most often prescribed for the treatment of dacryocystitis associated with a violation of the outflow of lacrimal fluid through the nasolacrimal canal. Sometimes Tobrex is used to treat pregnant women, but since its effect on the fetus has not been studied enough, it is done only for special indications. The same applies to cases of breastfeeding, since the medicine passes into breast milk in small quantities.

Tobramycin 3% solution is packaged in 5 ml plastic vials. the duration of barley treatment averages 5-7 days. Sometimes Tobrex ointment is additionally applied, which enhances the effect of the drops. As acute inflammation subsides, the dose of the drug is reduced. Since it is possible to develop an allergy, a tolerance test should be carried out.

Sodium sulfacyl

Twenty percent solution of sodium sulfacyl is used for any inflammation of the eyes, including stye. It is also prescribed for the treatment of purulent ulceration of the cornea, blepharitis, conjunctivitis. Albucid has been used for a very long time and is suitable for the treatment of patients of any age, including newborns. It is actively instilled immediately after childbirth to prevent the development of gonorrhea.

During the day, sodium sulfacyl is instilled up to 6 times, 2-3 drops each. The intensity of treatment is determined on an individual basis.

With the development of allergic reactions, you need to stop the drug. It should be noted that Albucid cannot be used together with preparations that contain midrion ions (protargol, collargol).

Other methods

In addition to drops, ointments, physiotherapy, and some folk methods are used to treat barley. If several foci of infection are observed at the same time or frequent recurrence of the disease is noted, the doctor may prescribe systemic antibiotics in tablets or injections.