I have a stye…and it hurts!
We all get styes from time to time, but what causes them? How can we get them to go away quickly?
A stye is like a pimple at the base of the eyelashes. In the world of ophthalmology, a stye is known as a hordeolum. It’s a bacterial infection of a sebaceous gland that causes redness, swelling, and discomfort. Styes will go away on their own, usually in about a week or two, often coming to a head and draining themselves on their own. I know it’s tempting, but resist trying to pop a stye. You’ll probably be unsuccessful and just end up causing yourself a lot of unnecessary pain! Instead, place warm, damp compresses on the affected eye for 15 minutes at a time, soothing the discomfort and helping to bring the stye to a head. And styes are contagious from person to person, so be sure to wash your hands after touching the infected eye.
If you suspect you may have a stye and want a doctor to take a look at it, or if you have stye that isn’t going away, feel free to schedule an appointment with an EDOW doctor by calling us at 301-215-7100 or visiting our contact page and sending us a message.
