What To Do About A Stye

As warmer weather comes, so do more frequent styes. These annoying and unseemly eyelid bumps are common in children but also in adults!

Styes are one of the most common emergency visits to the office I see. If you tend to have these or if your child does, a few helpful tips can make things go away before they even begin!

1.Warm Compress

This is literally the mainstay of treatment for any stye.

Why? Styes are clogged oil glands that run the length of our eyelids. How do you unclog a clogged oil gland? Warmth and compression!

Placing a warm compress on your eyelids melts the blocked oil. It also soothes the eyelid glands and improves the quality of your tears.

My favorite way to do a warm compress? Microwave a soaking wet washcloth until comfortably warm. Place it over your lids with the eyes closed and gently massage. By microwaving the wet washcloth, it should stay warm for at least 10 minutes. Do this twice a day for a good 10-15 minutes until you no longer feel any bump. Make the time relaxing and put on some music and close your eyes!

Just 2-3 minutes of warm compresses done every morning can prevent styes from developing. This can be achieved by closing your eyes in the shower and letting the warm water “pound” on your closed eyes.

2. Eyelid Hygiene

Your eyelids hold tons of bacteria that, when your glands get backed up, have a chance to throw a big party and wreak havoc on your lids. Prevent those microbes rom partying on your eyes by using a gentle cleanser like baby shampoo. Gently with warm water add the soap and clean your lids with fingers or a washcloth gently from side to side with the eyes closed. I recommend this every morning and every evening.

Men who do not tend to wear makeup have the worst eyelid skin because they never cleanse at the end of the day! You can buy single-use lid wipes for the gym or just on-the-go without access to water. These are especially great in the summer when our glands act up. There are some prescription strength lid cleansers that your ophthalmologist may recommend for you.

3. Omega-3 Oils

A lack of essential fatty acids in your diet can cause clogged glands and dry eyes. We already know that eating omega-3 fatty acids helps your blood vessels, heart, and brain. The good news is that it also helps our tear glands!

Studies show that adding these healthy fats to your diet helps with frequent styes. They’re also found to slow progression of macular degeneration! Omega-3 fatty acids are found in walnuts, salmon, sardines, anchovies, and flax seeds. You can also take fish oil capsules or other omega-3 supplements.