Original Creation Date: 01/01/2009, PPM Approval Date: 01/31/2013

Stye (Hordeolum)

What is it? Most bumps on the eyelid are styes. A stye is an inflamed oil gland on the edge of your eyelid, where the lash meets the lid. It appears as a red, swollen bump that can look like a pimple. It may be tender to touch. Causes: A stye is caused by bacteria from the skin that gets into the oil glands on your eyelids that provide lubrication to the tear film. Styes are similar to common acne pimples that occur elsewhere on the skin. You may have more that one stye at a time. Styes usually develop over a few days and may drain and heal on their own. What are the signs/symptoms? The first signs of a stye may include redness, tenderness or pain. Itching, swelling, sensitivity to light, and discomfort when blinking are also possible. Often a yellowish bump will appear on either the outside or the inside of the affected eyelid. What is the treatment?

Warm moist heat (compresses) is the most effective treatment as it is soothing and will help drain the stye. This increases the blood flow to the area and lets your own white blood cells fight the infection. Apply a warm compress for 10 minutes 4 times a day. Sometimes an antibiotic eye drop or ointment is also prescribed.

It is best not to wear eye make up until your stye is healed. Careful hand washing is also very important. Do not attempt to squeeze or pop a stye or any other type of eyelid bump. Let it drain on its own. Persistent styes may need to be lanced by an eye doctor. Styes usually heal within a week and cause no permanent damage. Rarely, the bump can become chronic over months or even years and would require minor surgery for excision by an ophthalmologist or optometrist (eye specialists). Prevention: Always wash your hands thoroughly before touching the skin around your eye. If you are susceptible to styes, it may help to carefully clean off the excess oils from the edges of your lids. This is best done using a soft cloth or Q-tip with warm water or a gentle cleanser such as a baby shampoo diluted with warm water.

Original Creation Date: 01/01/2009, PPM Approval Date: 01/31/2013

Styes And Chalazia

Styes - At the base of the eyelashes are the openings of tiny oil-producing glands. The oily secretions from these glands are an essential component of the tears and help keep the eyes lubricated. If the openings to these glands become clogged, perfect conditions are created for bacterial growth and a localized infection called a "stye" can result. With the development of infection comes pain,

redness and swelling.

Chalazia (singular = chalazion) - A chalazion looks similar to a stye but affects the meibomian glands which are located deeper in the eyelids. A chalazion usually does not contain an active bacterial infection. It may initially be red and swollen but within a few days usually changes to a painless, slowly growing "lump" within in the body of eyelid itself.

What causes a stye?

Styes are usually caused by the staphylococcus aureus bacteria. Some people have greater amounts of this bacteria living on their lids than others and may be more prone to stye formation. Anything that contributes to the blockage of the eyelid gland openings or encourages bacterial growth makes stye development more likely. Contributing factors include:

• Rubbing the eyes, which irritates the oil glands. Bacteria present on the hands can be transferred to the eye and contribute to infection.

• Improper use of mascara, eyeliner and other eye products. If the products become contaminated with bacteria, eye infection and stye formation are more likely.

What are the symptoms?

With both styes and chalazia the initial symptoms can include painful swelling of the eyelid, eyelid tenderness, sensitivity to light and increased tearing. With a stye, the swollen area will normally be on the edge of the eyelid at the base of an eyelash. This usually turns into a bump similar to a small pimple. A chalazion normally appears as a localized, hard lump away from the eyelid margin and not associated with an eyelash. It can be relatively painless and grow as large as an eighth of an inch. When a chalazion is large, it may exert enough pressure on the cornea (the clear "window" on the front of the eye) to distort the cornea and cause vision to be blurred.

How are styes and chalazia treated?

Styes are usually treated by applying warm, moist compresses and using nonprescription eye ointments, solutions, or eyedrops. Once you've had a stye, you're more prone to having styes in the future. If a stye is not getting better with home treatment, talk to your doctor; you may need a prescription to help treat the infection.

Chalazia are usually treated by application of warm compresses for 10-15 minutes at least 4 times a day. This may soften the hardened oils blocking the duct and promote drainage and healing. Antibiotic eye drops are normally used several days before and after surgical removal of a chalazion, but are otherwise of little value. Chalazia may be associated with blepharitis, or lid margin disease. Treatment of the blepharitis usually helps reduce or prevent the recurrence of chalazia.

Be sure call your eye doctor if an eyelid lump is associated with eyelash loss or if the lump progresses or persists longer than 1 month, despite treatment.