What Causes a Stye, How Does It Pass?

Inflammation caused by bacteria that we are somehow exposed to can form lumps that become visible anywhere on our body. Inflammation in the eye manifests itself as a sty. The discomfort we call a stye generally appears as a small pimple on the outside of the eyelid, but although it is small, it can be quite painful since our eye is a sensitive structure.

Everyone has had a sty at some point in their life. Let’s say from the beginning, the cause of styes is not stress. Most of the time, when the person does not pay attention to hygiene, it occurs due to the infection that occurs after the eye is infected with bacteria. Don’t worry, it’s not an incurable affliction. Let’s examine the details of questions such as what is a stye, how does it pass, what are the symptoms.

First of all, what is a sty?

A stye is a pimple-like bump that often appears on the outside of the eyelid but sometimes on the inside of the eyelid. It is the condition of the inflammation that occurs after the bacteria entering our body become infected. It is possible to talk about two types as external styes and internal styes.

A common external stye presents as a lump on the outside of the eyelid and is caused by inflammation in the eyelash follicles or sebaceous glands. Internal styes that form inside the eyelid are not very common. Internal styes are caused by inflammation of the tear glands called meibomian. An internal stye is much more painful.

What is a sty-like chalazion?

Chalazion, which manifests itself in the form of styes, are cysts that appear on the lower and upper eyelids due to the obstruction of the tear sebaceous glands. Initially it is quite small and does not cause pain. As the cyst grows, pain, redness and tenderness occur. If it is not intervened, it can cause blurring of vision by putting pressure on the eye, and if it progresses, it can cover the entire eye.

What are the symptoms of styes?

• Pimple-like swelling on the eyelid
• Redness in the area
• Yellow-colored point of inflammation in swelling
• temperature in the area
• redness of the whole eye
• Crusting on and around the eyelid
• stinging sensation
• eye watering
• sensitivity to light
• Increase in burring

Most of the time, you wake up one morning and when you go to the bathroom to wash your face, you suddenly realize that you have a blister in your eye in the mirror. If the inflammation is not very intense, you will not feel any pain, but the redness and temperature increase in the area where the stye occurs will definitely manifest itself.

Why does a sty come out?

• Interaction with people who have a sty or chalazion
• touching eyes without washing hands
• catching bacteria from the air
• Sleeping without removing eye makeup
• Doing eye make-up with unhygienic materials
• Unclean contact lenses
• Avoiding contact lenses at night
• Using false eyelashes
• Using unhygienic false eyelashes
• Decreased body resistance due to fatigue and insomnia
• Eyelash root inflammations called blepharitis and meibomite
• a skin disease called rosacea

Here are the main reasons for a sty on the inside or outside of your eyelid. In fact, when we examine all these reasons, we see that the main problem is that the eye is somehow exposed to bacteria and then becomes inflamed. The bacteria that most commonly causes a stye is a microorganism called staphylococcus.

How does a sty pass?

Most styes go away on their own within a few days or a week at the most. If you have pain during this process, you can use an over-the-counter or previously given pain reliever for a similar reason. You should pay attention to the hygiene of the stye area, you can try to reduce the swelling by applying hot compresses. Gently massaging the eyelid, making sure that your hands are clean, will also be good for the sty.

When should you go to the doctor?

Styes often go away on their own within a short time and are generally harmless, though uncomfortable. If you have applied a hot compress and massaged it lightly, but you do not see any signs of improvement after 48 hours, or if the redness, swelling, temperature is increasing and spreading, you should definitely be examined by an ophthalmologist. Depending on the condition of the inflammation, your doctor may start eye drops or antibiotic treatment.

How to prevent styes?

Take care of the cleanliness of your hands:

Even though there are many different causes, the most common cause of styes is unclean hands and rubbing those hands into the eyes. Keep the hand washing habit we gained during the pandemic, carry disinfectant with you if necessary, and most importantly, never touch your eyes if you are not sure that your hands are clean.

Be sure of the cosmetics you use:

Unfortunately, because it is much more affordable, many people use uncertain cosmetics and make-up materials. Worse still, a cosmetic product or make-up material is used in common. What if the bacteria don’t pass? Even if you have made eye makeup with quality materials by following all hygiene rules, be sure to clean it before going to bed at night.

Pay attention to the cleanliness of your contact lenses:

You have to be extremely careful when using contact lenses. You cannot put on and take off a product that you place right in your eye, like glasses. Wash your hands thoroughly when wearing lenses, put them in its own container after removing it, make sure that there is a solution in it, and close the cap immediately without being exposed to external factors. Your doctor will give you much more detailed information on the subject, so follow them.

Follow your doubts:

Although a stye may seem like an insidious ailment that appears suddenly, you can actually notice some of its first symptoms if you pay attention. If your eyes burn frequently, if you feel the need to scratch often and if you feel warmth in your eye, you can go to an eye doctor without waiting for a sty. Thanks to this kind of early control, many more serious ailments than a stye can be noticed before they develop and precautions can be taken.

We talked about the details you need to know about the subject by answering questions such as what is a stye, a lump on the eyelid caused by inflammation caused by bacterial infection, why, how it passes, what are the symptoms. What we describe is for informational purposes only. Remember that you should get the most accurate and specific information about the subject from a specialist physician.