People of all ages can get an eye stye, although some individuals may be more prone from various health factors. If you have developed a stye, treating it with a warm compress for the eyelid is effective.

What is a stye?

A stye, also known as a hordeolum, is a red, pimple-like bump that develops on the outer or inner edge of the upper or lower eyelid. It generally results from a bacterial infection, but there may be aggravating issues that lead to it in the first place.

While styes can be uncomfortable, painful, and unsightly, they do not constitute a serious health condition. Given appropriate treatment, a stye can clear up in seven to ten days. Before it does, it is important to avoid touching, squeezing, or popping it. The last thing you want to do is release the pus and spread the infection. If the stye is on the inside of the eyelid and it is necessary to drain it, let your doctor do it. However, medical attention is essential only in very severe cases, which are rare.

What are the factors that cause the formation of a stye?

There are many oil glands on the eyelids near the eyelashes to keep the eyes, eyelashes, and skin moist. Sometimes, a lack of proper hygiene can cause oil, dirt, and dead skin cells to accumulate around these oil glands and block their openings. The build-up is conducive to the growth and proliferation of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, and it can lead to the formation of a stye.

You may get an external stye on the outer edge of the eyelids if the bacterial infection occurs in an eyelash follicle or eyelid sweat gland. If the tiny meibomian oil glands on the inside edge of the eyelids get infected, the stye on the inner side of the eyelid could touch the eye surface.

The risk factor for developing a stye can increase if you do any of the following:

• Wear contact lenses, don’t maintain proper lens cleaning hygiene, and sleep wearing them.

• Touch or rub your eyes frequently with unwashed hands.

• Wear eyelash extensions.

• Wear eye makeup and do not remove it before sleeping.

• Fail to wash your eyes and face properly every day.

• Share a towel with someone who has a stye.

You may also be at an increased risk of developing styes if you have pre-existing eye problems or other health conditions like high cholesterol, diabetes, or dermatitis.

How can a warm compress help treat an eye stye?

A warm compress can help treat an eye stye by reducing the inflammation and shrinking the bump with its moist heat. The warm compress may cause the pus resulting from the infection to come to the surface, and the stye may then rupture on its own. The pus can then drain away and hasten the healing process.

You can make a warm compress for eyelid by dipping a clean, soft cotton towel in hot water, wringing it out, and applying it over your closed eyelids. Hold the warm, damp towel over each eye for around ten minutes. Be careful about not pressing down on the stye.

Instead of a warm, damp towel, you can also use a teabag as a warm compress for eyelid. Use a teabag of black tea since this tea variety has antibacterial properties and will prove more beneficial in reducing inflammation.

Boil some water first and then drop two tea bags in it. You want to use a separate tea bag for each eye. After letting the tea bags steep in hot water for one to two minutes, remove them and let them cool. Once they are warm to your touch, place them over your closed eyelids and hold them there for ten minutes.

Whether you use a towel or the tea bags, use the warm compress for eyelid once or twice a day for up to four weeks. The stye will significantly reduce in size and inflammation or completely disappear in this period. After the pus drains from the stye, keep the area clean by washing with warm water. You should also avoid touching your eyes constantly. Consult your doctor if the stye persists after four weeks.