eye health

stye

Definition

In the medical field, the orzaiolo is an infection that appears as a bulge in the eyelid, an expression of an acute inflammatory process affecting the sebaceous glands of the eyelashes.

The orzaiolo appears as a sort of pimple or round pimple, comparable to an abscess of rather solid consistency, which appears on the outer wall of the eyelid or (less frequently) on the inner wall.

In addition to being an aesthetic discomfort - although, fortunately, temporary - the stye is often accompanied by pain, swelling and redness circumscribed to the eyelid.

Causes

Poor personal hygiene is one of the most frequent predisposing factors of the stye: in fact, a poorly cleansed skin is more subject to bacterial infections, in particular to those sustained by staphylococci. The bacteria, in contact with the eye, penetrate into the follicles creating infection and inflammation.

Foto Orzaiolo

The contagion occurs in a rather simple way: it is in fact sufficient only the contact of the dirty hands with the eyes to allow the staphylococcus to create damage, therefore favoring the formation of the stye. It is observed that individuals suffering from blepharitis (a chronic inflammation that occurs at the level of the free edge of the eyelid) present a greater risk of contracting the stye.

Symptoms and Classification

To learn more: Symptoms Orzaiolo

The stye shows itself quite painfully, even if, normally, it regresses in a few days: from the medical statistics, it is observed that the stye disappears in 2-4 days, even if in some particularly sensitive patients the recovery happens in a longer period. Growing at the eyelid level, the stye could obstruct the vision (rare cases): in similar situations, the affected individual is not able to open the eye completely, since the size and weight of the stye can hinder the 'opening.

There is talk of an external stye when the inflamed pus-filled furunculus grows along the eyelid edge due to a bacterial insult directed at the follicle: the one just described is the most common variant of stye, in which the patient complains of a solid, painful lump inflamed, initially red, then yellow (pus accumulation index).

We speak, instead, of internal stye when the target of the staphylococcus are the Meibomian glands (with excretory activity, located on the internal transverse side of the upper eyelid), close to the eyeball. In cases of severity, the untreated stye can evolve into calazio, a painful cyst that grows in the eyelid due to obstruction of the excretory duct of the meibomian gland.

Stye symptoms-spy: when to contact the doctor

  1. Perception of pain on pressure or rubbing of the eye
  2. Abnormal tearing
  3. Hypersensitivity to light
  4. Formation of small pimples at the level of the eyelid

Treatments and Drugs

To learn more: Orzaiolo remedies

In most cases, the stye tends to self-purify in a few days: it is observed that a good part of the patients recover completely in 7-14 days, without reporting any damage in the long term, thus reacquiring the complete functionality of the eye .

The pus accumulated inside the styletol tends to burst by itself, purging a modest amount of yellowish liquid: as can be guessed, the stye should NOT be "blown up" with the hands, rather you can shorten the healing time by applying more Hot compresses directly on the infected eye several times a day. In fact, as well as alleviating pain, direct heat promotes the spontaneous elimination of pus. It is advisable to repeat the compresses three or four times a day, taking care to keep a damp cloth on the eye for 5-10 minutes for each application.

Sometimes, the doctor extrapolates the eyelashes from which the stye has developed: this practice, however, is not very appreciated by the patient, because moderately annoying; when the pus does not come out despite the hot compresses, the doctor can insert the tip of a needle or small scalpel directly into the follicle. This practice should only be carried out by medical experts: do-it-yourself removal of the stye with a needle could have serious consequences for the eye and eyelid.

Some patients can be treated with specific drugs, aimed at eradicating staphylococcus: for example, erythromycin, for topical application, is one of the most used drugs for this purpose.

To prevent the spread of infection, it is recommended not to use the towels previously used by patients suffering from stye, and to always wash hands thoroughly before touching the eyes.

Continue: Stones treatment for the care of the ox "