What Causes Styes?
Sunday, July 15th, 2018, 3:53 am
Though some eye conditions occur naturally, we really hate the ones that could have been avoided. Nothing is worse than an eye injury from not wearing safety goggles during racquetball or while using power tools. Thankfully, not all preventable problems are serious, though they can definitely be annoying. Keep reading to learn about one of the most annoying eye problems: the stye.
Generally speaking, a stye surfaces when the area at the base of your eyelashes or a gland along your eyelid becomes irritated with bacteria from our skin (usually with staphylococci bacteria) and causes a clog in the pore. Staphylococci normally exist on the skin of our eyes, so don’t panic. The problem starts when this bacteria gets trapped with dead skin cells on the edge of the eyelid. After a day or so, you might notice a red bump on the outside or inside of your eyelid along with other symptoms like light sensitivity, watery eyes, and tenderness on the site of the stye.
Certain things can increase the chances of you developing a stye. Blowing your nose or coming in contact with mucus, and then touching your eye can introduce this bacteria into our glands. Using older cosmetics like eyeliner, mascara, eyeshadow, or even older face products like face washes and masks can transfer unwanted bacteria to your eye.
One easy way to prevent styes is to disinfect your contact lenses every day, and switching out the solution they sit in at night every day. If you happen to suffer from blepharitis (redness on the edge of the eyelid), you are also more likely to get styes. Making sure to wash your hands frequently, not touch your eyes needlessly, and keeping your eyes clean will help you prevent styes.
Some people get styes more frequently than others, and poor diet and stress have been linked to more stye “outbreaks.” Try to lower stress, eat better, and keep your eyes clean. A small amount of baby shampoo on a washcloth or cotton swab might help keep your eyes clean of bacteria, and prevent more styes.
If you have a stye that is getting worse or is affecting your vision, call us today at (800) 344-7058 for a consultation at our Illinois office or (877) 269-4545 for our Missouri location.
Category: Eye Condition
