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A stye is an infection around the eyelid; usually in the corners. The oil secreting glands become swollen, painful and infected. Staphylococcus bacteria is usually the bacteria which causes this infection. Styes can be spread from one person to the next. Here is how to ease the pain of styes and how to get rid of them.
In the beginning a stye will be a red swollen area near the eyelash duct on the either the upper or lower eyelid. It will be tender to the touch. A head will form in the center and it will fill with pus. The stye becomes very painful and the eye may water and look bloodshot. Sometimes the bump gets very large and will block some vision in that eye. Once the head breaks the pressure will be eliminated once the pus is secreted soon the pain will subside and the stye will go away.
Styes are very irritating and painful and the temptation is great to squeeze them to get rid of them. But this is not recommended as it will only worsen the infection possibly causing it to spread to other parts of the eyelid. Squeezing a stye is counterproductive and should be avoided.
To soften the head on the stye and to ease the pain, use warm compresses several times a day. Take a clean wash cloth and run it under very warm, but not hot, water and place it on the infected eye for 10 minutes. Do this between three and six times a day.
Make sure you wash your hands thoroughly after using a compress or even touching the stye. The staphylococcus bacteria in the stye can spread causing more styes. Do not rub an eye with a stye. If you touch the infected eye and then touch your other eye, you will spread the infection to the other eye. It is not uncommon for a child to have a bout with several styes in their eyes over several months from spreading the infection.
Styes should go away in about 3 or 4 days. If, however, the stye does not go away and seems to be getting worse see a doctor. You may need an opthalmalic antibiotic solution.
There are some other treatments for styes that will work in some cases, you will have to try them and see which work for you. All of these suggestions are non-toxic and safe to
use.
Flush and rinse the eye with a stye using warm sterile water. Use an eye cup bought at a drugstore to rinse the eye. Another interesting cure is milk; regular homogenized milk. Rinse the eye with cold milk using an eye cup or drop some in the eye with an eyedropper. The cool milk soothes the stye and many times will hasten its disappearance. Use the herb eyebright to help relieve redness in the eye and clear the infection. You can use the eyebright in a warm compress. Herbs can be purchased at a health food store.
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