3 Ways To Prevent And Treat Sties

Posted on: 12 January 2015

There is nothing fun about a sty in your eye. According to Vision Service Plan, a sty occurs when the glands or pores in your eyelid become plugged, causing infection and inflammation. Sties are not particularly serious as far as vision ailments are concerned, but they are certainly painful and unsightly. Listed below are three things that you can do to either prevent or treat sties to minimize the amount of time you have to deal with them. 

1. Wash Your Eyelids Well:

Most people probably don't think too often about washing their eyelids, but proper hygiene can save you a lot of pain and trouble later. Make sure that you have carefully removed all of your eye makeup (mascara, eye shadow, eye liner, etc.) so that it does not clog the pores of the eyelids. You can utilize baby shampoo as a make up remover to help make sure you're getting everything out of your eyes. Simply mix the shampoo with water and rub it along the base of the eyelashes. 

It is also important to prevent sties by keeping the makeup and products you use on your eyes clean. Avoid dirty towels and rubbing your eyes with your dirty hands, and throw out any expired eye makeup. EyeHealthWeb also discourages sharing eye makeup, towels, and pillowcases to further prevent contaminating one's eyes. 

2. Use Heat:

If you are already experiencing a sty, you are probably feeling a lot of discomfort in the affected eye. To help ease this pain and decrease inflammation, utilize hot compresses. Simply placing a hot wash cloth or other type of warm compress on the sty will do wonders to relieve the pain and help your eye heal faster. 

3. Visit Your Doctor:

If the sty does not go away on its own, you should pay an ophthalmologist a visit. The ophthalmologist may prescribe antibiotics to help get rid of the bacteria that is causing the sty, or he or she may surgically remove it. This surgery is an incredibly minor one. Your ophthalmologist will simply apply a local anesthetic and then open and drain the sty. This procedure should get rid of the sty without any damage to the eyelid or eye. 

If you are currently struggling with sties, try applying heat or visiting your doctor to rid yourself of them. Once they are gone though, it is important to prevent them from coming back by practicing good eyelid hygiene. Following these steps can greatly help decrease the amount of sties you experience and make the ones you are experiencing less painful.   

For more information, contact a local eye clinic, like Nevada Institute Of Ophthalmology.

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