A stye, also known as a hordeolum, is an inflammation at the edge of the eyelid. The cause of such an infection is often an overload of the immune system, whereby the defenses in the eye area weaken. Environmental stimuli can thus penetrate the eye relatively quickly and cause damage. The infection is usually caused by bacteria or viruses.
What is a sty and what are the symptoms?
Tear fluid is used to moisturize your eye. To prevent evaporation, the sebaceous glands enrich it with their own fats.
If these sebaceous glands and also the sweat glands are acutely inflamed with pus, a sty develops.
The sty is often reddened and sensitive to pressure and pain. It also looks like a pimple and is filled with pus.
There are two different types of sty. There is the hordeolum internus, which is located on the inside of the eyelid, and the hordeolum externus, which is located on the outer edge of the eyelid.
The swollen eyelid makes it difficult to open the eye. Other common symptoms are fever, swollen lymph nodes and headaches. A general feeling of illness is often the case.
Causes of sty
It is often the case that bacteria get into and around the eye when rubbing the eye with dirty hands. Wearing contact lenses or make-up can also promote the formation of bacteria.
Smoking, draughts, lack of sleep, stress and illness are also factors that promote the formation of styes because they weaken the immune system.
Because the sty is caused by a bacterial inflammation, it is also contagious. To avoid this, you should touch the affected eye as little as possible so that the pathogens cannot spread.
Thorough hand washing is therefore a must.
Dos and don'ts for a sty
You should definitely avoid squeezing the sty or even lancing it. This will spread the bacteria and can then lead to secondary diseases such as conjunctivitis.The sty usually opens on its own after a few days, so that medical treatment is not necessary. However, do not confuse sty with chalazion. Both have a similar appearance and also similar symptoms, if you want to know more about them, read our blog about chalazion.