Stye Treatment
Symptoms
A sty is an annoying and painful, though not serious, eye problem. This infection of an oil gland causes an abscess to form near the lashes. First signs are inflammation of the affected lid, with redness, swelling and great tenderness. As the abscess develops, a hard ball forms, filling with yellow pus. The eye becomes sensitive to light and tears easily. Once the sty bursts, the pain subsides and the infection heals. Styes usually occur on the lid surface at the base of the lashes, but they can also form on the inside of the lid, and here they tend to be more painful. Styes usually heal without help within one week, but they can recur.
Stye Treatment Causes
A sty is the result of staphylococcus bacteria that have infected a skin gland in the eyelid. The infection causes acute inflammation of the gland, then the swelling and pus produces the hard ball that is characteristic of a sty. It is not uncommon for one sty to develop after another if the infection spreads. Recurring infections suggest a susceptibility due to overall low resistance. External irritants such as smoke, dust and gases cause eye problems.
Stye Treatment Nutrition
Frequent styes are often due to a vitamin A deficiency. Good sources of vitamin A are whole milk, asparagus and broccoli. Beta-carotenes, which the body converts to vitamin A, are found in yellow, orange and green vegetables and yellow fruits such as cantaloupe.
Stye Treatment Nutritional Supplements
In response to the characteristic low resistance connected with styes, take vitamin C with bioflavonoids and vitamin A. These will speed healing. Zinc should also be added for immune system support.
Daily dosages:
Vitamin A, 25,000 IU
(avoid during pregnancy)
Vitamin C, with
bioflavonoids, 1,000 mg
Zinc, 30 mg, with 6 mg copper
Stye Treatment Herbal Remedies
Herbal remedies provide effective relief of swelling and boost the immune system to fight off bacteria that cause a sty.
Wash the eyes with hot eyebright, camomile, horsetail or oak bark infusion three to four times daily to relieve swelling and help clear the infection. Also, drink 3 cups of these herbal teas daily for two weeks, using 1 tsp. of herbs to 1 cup of boiling water.
With acute inflammation, wear a camomile compress eye pad.
To disinfect the sty, place the face over a bowl of warm water with camomile in which 5 drops of tea tree oil have been added; steam for five minutes. Goldenseal can also be used as an antibacterial.
To boost the immune system and help clear the infection, take 10 drops of echinacea and goldenseal combination tincture in liquid three times daily for two days.
Oregon grape root acts as an antibiotic. Make a decoction to wash the eyes.
Stye Treatment Homeopathy
Choose one of the following remedies, in a 6c strength, placing 2 tablets under the tongue every hour for three doses, then four times daily until symptoms improve or for up to one week if necessary.
Pulsatilla is the most commonly used remedy to heal a sty, and should be used if the sty is not particularly painful or one of the other remedies is not indicated. The eye is typically itchy and heat aggravates it. The pus is yellow or greenish yellow.
Hepar sulphuris is useful for a painful sty which is sensitive to touch and the least draft of cold air.
Choose Graphites if the discharge is a thick, sticky yellow and the sty is not so painful. Crusts or sores often form on the lids.
Staphysagria is a common remedy for styes that occur one after the other, as a result of stress and tension, or if Pulsatilla has not helped.
Stye Treatment Tissue Salts
Take 4 tablets four times daily.
Ferr phos is useful at the onset, when the inflammation has just begun and the pus has not yet formed.
Silicea is recommended when the pus has already formed. It will promote the discharge and hasten healing.
Stye Treatment External/Physical Therapies
Apply hot mashed potato packs on the eye every hour to ripen the sty. When it breaks open, do not squeeze, but gently dab off the pus with a wet cotton pad.
Do not scratch or rub the eyelid, as this will make the infection worse.
Wear sunglasses when inflammation is acute.
Stye Treatment Available Brand Name Products
Nutritional Supplements
Vitamin A (Natural Factors)
Herbal Remedies
Horsetail Leaves (Flora)
Eye Formula (Natural Factors)
Echinacea-Golden Seal Combination
(Nature's Herbs)
Eye-Power (Nature's Herbs)
Homeopathy
Graphites (Nelsons Homeopathy)
Hepar Sulph (Nelsons Homeopathy)
however the folowing week it came up soooo bad swollen eyelids, swollen cheek bone, bruised eye also, and was so painful, my eye was watering constantly, after about 2 days i got some optrex eye oitment from chemist and was putting this in lower lid but it was burning and getting worse so i stopped.
NOW... i have a huge ball size of 2 peas on the outside of my lower lid that looks like a cyst.... i have been doctors he has prescribed me nothing and said it will go down eventually... but its sooo painful and i cant blink, um worried its not a stye and worried it will burst and cause pain to my actuall eyeball. i have never had one this bad usually a stye is inside comes and goes quite qyuck but this is 4 weeks now and i look...