The eyelids can become inflamed and infected causing swelling or a stye. When you have a stye on your eyelid, you will certainly feel disturbed, both in terms of appearance and comfort.
Human eyelids have oil glands located on the inside and outside of the eyelids. The outer oil glands are connected to the eyelashes that attach to the eyelids. The oil produced by these glands helps moisturize the eyes and keep tears in the eyeball region.
However, the oil glands in the eye can become infected and become blocked. This condition causes inflammation of the eye. The inflammation can be internal or external, depending on the problem with the oil gland.
Causes of Styes on the Eyelids
Styes are generally caused by obstruction of the oil gland ducts and bacterial infection. People who suffer from diabetes, inflammation of the eyelids, or abnormalities in the oil glands are more prone to stye. Excess fat levels in the blood can also increase the risk of blockage of the oil gland ducts in the eyelids.
Styes can develop into chalazions if not treated properly. Chalazion is swelling of the eyelids without pain or redness. Chalazion can interfere with appearance, cause scarring on the eyelids, to irritate the cornea.
In addition to chalazion, another impact that can appear in a stye that is not treated properly is the spread of infection to the skin tissue around the eye.
How to Treat Stye on the Eyelid
The doctor can diagnose a stye on the eyelid from the symptoms and the results of a physical examination, especially on the outer and inner eyelids to determine the exact location of the infection.
A stye is characterized by swollen, red, and painful eyelids. On swollen eyelids, you can see pus trapped like a pimple. A stye may begin as swelling and redness over the entire eyelid area, which then becomes localized (collected in one area).
Styes on the eyelids can heal on their own within 1-2 weeks with self-medication. The trick is to compress the eyelids with a warm towel for 10 minutes, 3-4 times a day. This method is used to relieve symptoms and speed up the healing process. However, if the complaints do not improve, you can visit an ophthalmologist. Doctors can provide treatment, among others, by:
Giving oantibiotic bat
Doctors can give antibiotics in the form of eye ointments. Antibiotics aim to kill the bacteria that develop in the infection thereby speeding up the healing process. Antibiotics taken by mouth can also be given if the infection often recurs or is widespread.
lash out
To treat blockages in the outer oil glands, the doctor may pluck the eyelashes around the site of inflammation. This action aims to make the pus trapped in the inflammation can drain out.
Operation
Surgery under local anesthesia may be performed if the stye is large enough or does not respond to treatment. Surgery can also be done if a chalazion has formed.
To prevent a stye on the eyelid, it is recommended that you always keep the eye area clean. If the eye area looks dirty, it's best to clean it with sterile gauze moistened with sodium chloride, or with warm water and a non-irritating soap, such as baby soap.
Do not carelessly touch the eye area with dirty hands. Washing hands after every activity can prevent the spread of infection. For women, it is important to clean make-up or eye makeup before going to bed, to avoid a stye on the eyelid. In addition, you should also maintain a diet by reducing fatty foods and increasing vegetables and fruit.
written oleh:
dr. Dian Hadiany Rahim, SpM(Ophthalmologist)