How to treat stye in the eye? Video
Barley is often considered a painful but harmless formation that does not require special treatment. In fact, this disease must be taken seriously – improper treatment or its absence can lead to serious consequences. Barley can sometimes go away on its own, but complications are common.
How to treat stye in the eye?
Barley on the eye: causes of the disease
Barley is an acute inflammation of the hair follicle of the eyelash or sebaceous gland that occurs at the edge of the eyelid. The disease begins with a small, moderately painful swelling on the eyelid, the appearance of which is accompanied by itching, and sometimes by fever and redness of the mucous membrane of the eye. After 2-3 days, an abscess appears in the center of the swelling, when opened or broken, a small amount of pus is released. After this, the swelling and soreness noticeably decrease, and soon the eyelid takes on a normal appearance. It is not uncommon for barley to dissolve without breaking the abscess. The disease usually develops quickly, sometimes within a few hours.
The main causes of the disease:
- decreased immunity
- violation of personal hygiene rules
- chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, diabetes mellitus, furunculosis
- demodex is a microscopic mite parasitizing in the sebaceous glands and hair follicles of the eyelids
The demodex mite also lives on the skin of healthy people, however, with a decrease in immunity, it begins to actively multiply, which leads to demodicosis, which manifests itself in the form of skin rashes, conjunctivitis, barley
Most often, hypothermia, or a cold, is mistakenly considered the cause of the appearance of barley on the eye. But hypothermia is just one of the reasons for the decrease in immunity; it can also decrease under the influence of prolonged stress, surgery, or serious illness.
In this case, non-observance of personal hygiene means the use of dirty towels, other people’s cosmetics (mascara, eye shadow, face cream). Women also often get sick when using contaminated sponges and applicators to apply makeup or clean makeup from their face. Barley is easy to obtain by simply rubbing your eyes with dirty hands, and bacteria, which are the causative agent of the disease, enter the eye. Sometimes the disease develops in those who wear contact lenses and do not keep them clean.
Uncomplicated barley sometimes goes away without any intervention.
It is necessary to consult a doctor for the following symptoms:
- barley is accompanied by headache, fever, enlargement of regional lymph nodes
- after 4-5 days, the formation at the edge of the eyelid has not passed or has increased in volume and became more painful
- due to swelling of the eyelid, vision is difficult
It is also necessary to visit a doctor in case barley recurs frequently. In this case, you will need not only an examination by an ophthalmologist, but also a consultation with an immunologist, as well as a course of immunomodulatory drugs. You may also need to do tests to exclude demodicosis.
At the first signs of the disease, swelling at the edge of the eyelid can be carefully cauterized with iodine, brilliant green, calendula tincture or alcohol solution
Moisten a cotton swab with an antiseptic solution and gently press on the swelling, being careful not to get alcohol into the eye, otherwise you risk getting a mucous membrane burn. Hold the wand for a few minutes. This procedure must be done 3-4 times a day.
Swelling and inflammation can be significantly reduced with antibacterial eye ointments and drops. If you are not allergic to antibiotics, buy anti-inflammatory ointment and antibacterial drops from your pharmacy. Drops must be instilled into the eye 3-4 times a day, it is better to put the ointment behind the affected eyelid before bedtime.
If a child has barley, it is better to take him to a doctor without trying to cure the inflammation on his own. The doctor will select the dosage of antibacterial drugs in accordance with age
Traditional medicine offers a lot of recipes for treating barley, however, using many of them, you risk causing serious harm to yourself. The risk of getting into a hospital bed and even losing an eye in this case is much higher than the likelihood of being cured, especially when using means such as applying a boiled egg or fried onions.
In no case should you warm the inflamed area! This will lead to the spread of inflammation and the more rapid development of extensive suppuration. Dry heat is allowed only after opening the abscess to remove soreness and residual edema.
It is strictly forbidden to open barley on your own, even if a pronounced abscess appears! By squeezing out or piercing the abscess, you run the risk of spreading the infection to the surrounding tissues, which is fraught with serious complications, up to sepsis and meningitis.
It is necessary either to wait for the breakthrough of barley, or to consult a surgeon
Until complete recovery, stop using cosmetics and contact lenses, get a separate face towel, try not to rub the affected eye with your hands despite itching and pain in the eye. Use sterile pipettes or sterile cotton swabs to administer medications. It goes without saying that when carrying out medical manipulations on the eyes, the hands should be clean, it is advisable to cut the nails short for a while.