How can you prevent the development of stye on the eye?

Barley - basic concept

Hordeolum is an acute inflammation of the hair follicle of the eyelash, accompanied by the accumulation of pus and swelling of the eyelid. It can be external - above the ciliary zone, internal - the edges of the eyelids, touching when blinking. In 95% of cases it is a complication of a bacterial infection, against the background of suppressed immunity.

The inflammatory process is accompanied by pain, cosmetic discomfort - in the progressive stage, complete “swimming” of the eyelid, purulent souring of the eye, which makes blinking difficult, especially in the morning. Stye is not just an external problem that is eliminated in 2-3 days, but an ophthalmological disease that can progress to a chronic form. Therefore, as soon as any negative process in the eyes begins, it is necessary to take therapeutic measures. This will help quickly eliminate the maturing follicle, prevent pus from provoking long-term inflammation, and prevent the appearance of a chronic source of the disease.

Treatment

If barley appears frequently in a child, and they are not isolated in nature, but several of them at once, then we are talking about furunculosis. In such a situation, it is usually impossible to cure the baby only with local means, says Evgeniy Komarovsky. In this situation, you will need to take oral antibiotics, which have a fairly effective effect on staphylococci. There are many such drugs, the doctor, taking into account the severity of the infection and the age of his young patient, will be able to choose and prescribe the medicine he needs.

When treating a staph infection on the skin, it is rarely possible to get rid of the problem with antibiotics in 3-5 days. Evgeny Komarovsky claims that it will take at least 14 days to adequately treat the problem.

If barley is an infrequent “guest”, and mostly comes alone, without companions, then Komarovsky does not advise abusing topical antibiotics

This is important so that the baby’s local immunity has the opportunity to develop independently.

In some cases, with severe pain and a large size of the boil, a fairly standard treatment can be prescribed: instillation of 20-30% sodium sulfacyl, hydrocortisone emulsion (1%) and some other drugs into the eye.

At the initial stage of barley development, you can try to stop the proliferation of Staphylococcus aureus with the most common brilliant green. To do this, use a 1% solution of brilliant green, which can be bought at any pharmacy. The microbe, which can withstand boiling and direct sunlight, and also staunchly resists most of the strongest antibiotics and antiseptics, for some inexplicable reason cannot tolerate the most common brilliant green. Sometimes the development of barley stops completely after such treatment.

If the stye has turned into a large abscess (abscess), which does not happen so often, you may need the help of a surgeon who, under conditions of strict sterility, will open the abscess and clean it of pus.

It makes sense to consult a surgeon even if the abscess does not open on its own 7-8 days after the onset of the disease. There is no need to be afraid of such treatment; surgical opening does not leave traces in the form of scars.

If the temperature rises against the background of hordeolum, the child can be given antipyretics. Komarovsky advises using either Paracetamol or Ibuprofen for this.

Reasons for appearance

Inflammation occurs against the background of infectious diseases provoked by Staphylococcus aureus. More than 25% of people are permanent carriers of bacteria, and almost all of them experience acute infection. These could be colds, seasonal epidemics, sore throat, flu. Or more serious pathologies - pneumonia, osteomyelitis, myingitis, extensive abscesses, dermatitis. Therefore, hordeolum can become an important symptom of a dangerous disease. Staphylococcus aureus is transmitted by airborne droplets, food or microtrauma. Anyone can become a victim of an eye infection due to many circumstances:

• Failure to comply with sanitary and hygienic standards;
• the presence of concomitant chronic diseases;
• decreased protective function of the body due to stress, vitamin deficiency, seasonal allergies, taking antibiotics or poor nutrition;
• eating unwashed vegetables and fruits;
• untreated abrasions, cuts, open wounds, even minor ones.

The infection gets directly into the eyes due to the bad habit of rubbing your eyelids with your hands, using dirty towels, questionable cosmetics, and accessories. And already against the background of general weakness, a pathological process arises that would be impossible in a healthy body.

A separate group is hordeolum, which recurs with concomitant chronic diseases:

• Diabetes;
• seborrhea;
• all types of gilment infection;
• gastrointestinal dysfunction;
• HIV;
• anorexia;
• oily skin, acne, acne.

Prevention of stye on the eye is possible only with conservative treatment of the underlying disease. Otherwise, the “sore” will constantly arise, under any “favorable” conditions.

Causes of the phenomenon and methods of influence

It must be said that sometimes barley ripens, but does not break through. This does not always indicate the presence of problems - it also happens that this formation resolves without the release of pus. But if it persists for more than a month and the patient notices unfavorable symptoms, it is worth consulting a doctor.

These symptoms include:

• temperature increase;
• the appearance of compaction;
• blurred vision;
• severe swelling of the eyelid.

These symptoms, combined with a long period of maturation, may indicate the presence of a chronic disease or a weak immune defense. This needs to be clarified, otherwise similar phenomena will occur frequently.

Another feature of this pathology is that the abscess matures quickly, but in its place one or more more are formed. Such situations are also not uncommon, and if they occur, you should also consult a doctor.

Despite the fact that barley ripens quite quickly, some patients want to speed up this process. This is especially true for women who are worried about their appearance. And if the barley does not go away for more than a week, this issue becomes especially relevant.

When the barley does not break through, a specialist will tell you what to do. An ophthalmologist can explain what products should be used to make the stye go away quickly. Therefore, it is undesirable to use untested recipes - sometimes they are harmful. It is most effective to use drugs for local treatment (Albucid, Levomycetin). But they should be used only as prescribed by a doctor, since they have contraindications.

In order for the barley to break through quickly, it is permissible to use folk remedies:

1. The simplest method is to apply dry heat to the damaged area. For this treatment, salt, buckwheat or boiled eggs are most often used. Cereals or salt must be heated in a frying pan and wrapped in thick cloth. The damaged area should be covered with a towel, and then warmed with hot filler. Warming up with a chicken egg is as follows: hard-boil the egg, wrap it in a cloth and warm the eyelid for about 15 minutes.

2. 
   Another option that can speed up the ripening of an abscess is the application of compresses. Thanks to them, the most unpleasant symptoms of the pathology disappear and the infection process weakens. Compresses based on tea, both black and green, are considered effective.

   Compresses made from medicinal plants, such as chamomile, which have antibacterial and soothing properties, are beneficial. It is advisable to carry out treatment not only on the damaged, but also on the healthy eyelid. This is done to prevent the infection from spreading further.

Symptoms and stages

Barley on the eyes, like all pathological processes, is characterized by several stages of development. Each stage has its own symptoms. For a general understanding, it is necessary to know how the disease develops in order to prevent hordeolum in the early stages.

Stage I - inflammation begins, the eye itches, redness and swelling appear in the affected area. Accompanied by general weakness, headache, fever. In some cases, the swelling is so severe that the stye in the eye prevents the eyelids from opening, even after antiseptic treatment.

Stage II - symptoms increase. The pain is excruciating, the eyelid is swollen, and a purulent capsule is forming in the eye. Outwardly, it resembles a small transparent swelling, with visible white contents.

Stage III - the abscess continues to increase in size until it independently breaks through into the external or internal environment, depending on the location. Sometimes it can reach an impressive volume, without breaking the capsule, which is opened only through surgery.

Stage IV - after the purulent capsule breaks through, a regenerative crust forms, which is the main sign of recovery.

At any stage of the disease, you should never squeeze out a “pimple” yourself. This can lead to an increase in treatment time and disastrous consequences, including blood poisoning. Pus through the mucous membranes can penetrate deep into the orbit, saphenous veins, and lymph nodes. As a result, the appearance of multiple abscesses of the eyelid, thrombosis of the vessels of the eyeball, due to the proximity of the brain, purulent meningitis, and sepsis, cannot be ruled out.

Characteristics of the disease

Barley is an acute purulent disease of the hair follicle of the eyelash or the Zeiss sebaceous gland, which is located near the eyelash bulb. There is also internal barley: when a lobe of the meibomian gland becomes inflamed.

In both cases, the following symptoms of barley appear:

• redness of the eyelid;
• inflammation and swelling of its edge;
• unpleasant and painful sensations that create the illusion of extraneous interference and contamination of the eye.

Approximately 90% of all styes are caused by Staphylococcus aureus.

After slight swelling at the edge of the eyelid, the abscess transforms into a small elevation at the site of swelling and redness with a yellowish head at the top. Upon opening, pus begins to flow out, which can provoke the appearance of several similar formations.

At the same time, the conjunctiva of the eyelid becomes red and inflamed, the temperature may rise, and some lymph nodes may enlarge. Squeezing out pus leads to the spread of infection to the eye orbit, with subsequent extremely dangerous complications including thrombosis and meningitis.

Diagnostic measures

Purulent inflammation in the eyes is one of the few pathologies that does not require lengthy studies and complex hardware manipulations. Already at an early stage, you can visually independently determine the cause of discomfort. But to exclude and prevent serious illnesses, it is necessary to seek qualified medical help. The ophthalmologist will conduct an examination, if there are suspicious symptoms, prescribe standard tests or give a referral to specialized specialists.

As a rule, a general blood test is sufficient, which will show what type of infection caused the inflammation. If there are other factors, for example the appearance of an abscess for no apparent reason, often recurrent lesions, the following measures are applied:

• Blood sugar test;
• feces for helminth content;
• analysis of eyelashes for demodicosis;
• conjunctival smear for bacteriosis;
• examination by a dermatologist, gastroenterologist, endocrinologist.

As noted above, most often, a “sore” in the eyes does not require complex diagnostic measures; it is quite amenable to successful treatment at home.

Prevention

To prevent stye from appearing again, you need to prevent bacteria from getting into the eye and maintain high immunity. After all, it will not be possible to completely eliminate contact with pathogenic microflora, but it is quite possible to strengthen the body’s defenses so that inflammation does not begin after just a few microbes enter the eye.

Prevention of barley includes compliance with the following preventive recommendations:

• Follow the rules of personal hygiene - at a minimum, do not touch your eyes and other parts of your face with unwashed hands;
• In food, give preference to foods enriched with vitamins and microelements - fresh vegetables, fruits and other representatives of the plant world;
• In the autumn-winter-spring period, do not neglect additional intake of vitamin complexes, especially pay attention to vitamins C, A and group B;
• Avoid hypothermia;
• Avoid stress, or learn to overcome it without harm to your health, or, as a last resort, change your job;
• Maintain a work/rest/sleep schedule, get enough sleep;
• Do not leave various diseases to chance, especially those of an infectious nature, so that they do not become chronic;
• Give up alcohol, quit smoking;
• Do not use medications at your own discretion, but try to consult with your doctors first.

Sufficient measures to prevent stye: following basic rules of personal hygiene and caring for the eye area. If barley recurs frequently, dry brewer's yeast and multivitamins can be used as preventive measures.

If a stye starts on the eye, how to prevent it?

You can quickly get rid of an abscess, or its prospects, with the help of medications and folk remedies. To increase the effectiveness of treatment, it is better to combine both methods. Therapeutic measures should be taken in the next 2-3 hours after redness, itching or swelling of the eyelid appears, even before the characteristic twitching pain sensations.

Treatment at stage I (before the abscess appears)

1. Compress. Dilute alcohol with water, proportion 1 to 1, moisten a small piece of sterile cotton wool, and apply to the affected area. If possible, cover with a warm bandage (scarf, handkerchief) and leave for several hours. The method requires care - make sure that the solution does not get on the mucous membrane of the eye, thereby causing a burn.
2. Once an hour, carefully wipe the eyelid with alcohol (turn speed no more than 70%).
3. Dry heating. A warm egg or a bag of salt applied to the affected eye will quickly relieve the primary symptoms of inflammation.
4. Lotions. With calendula - brew the flowers in a water bath (pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture into 200 ml of water), strain, cool to room temperature, moisten a cotton swab, and apply to the sore eye. With furatsilin - dissolve 1 tablet in 100 ml of hot water, wipe with warm solution every 15 minutes. With chamomile - 2 tbsp. Brew a tablespoon of chamomile with 200 ml of boiling water, let it brew for 20-30 minutes, wipe from the corner of the eyelid to the outer edge every 10-20 minutes.
5. Antibiotic ointments, eye drops. Pharmaceutical drugs available without a prescription can quickly relieve pain and eliminate the bacterial threat. Ophthalmologists recommend using drops "Gentamicin", "Floxal", Tetracycline ointment.

Treatment of stye in the eyes at an early stage will take from 2 to 5 days, depending on physical activity and the degree of damage. At home, with bed rest, therapy lasts one to two days. If it is not possible to stay at home, then take precautions - wash your hands as often as possible, do not touch your face, use eye drops every hour, refuse fast food, carbonated drinks, sweets, for normal metabolic processes in the body.

Treatment of stye on the inner surface of the eyelid

The proximity to the eyeball, the conjunctiva, makes the treatment of internal abscess in the eyes more difficult, requiring special care. Alcohol and iodine lotions are strictly contraindicated, as they can burn the mucous membranes and the situation will only get worse.

As in the case of external barley, independent opening of the purulent capsule and, in general, all mechanical manipulations are prohibited. In the early stages, the following methods are used:

• Every 20-30 minutes, rinse with furatsilin using a mini bulb or a disposable syringe without a needle. To do this, dissolve 1 tablet in 100 mg of boiled water and cool to room temperature.
• Apply dry heat (salt, egg).
• Medicinal drops, antibiotic-based ointments.
• When barley is advanced or rapidly developing, taking tablet antibiotics is indicated - Cefuroxime, Augmentin, Amoxicillin.

With an internal abscess, it is strictly not recommended to wait for the abscess to break through. In most cases, this leads to complications. If primary care does not bring positive results (the first 24 hours), you should contact an ophthalmologist to safely remove the purulent capsule.

How to warn at an early stage?

Alcohol will help stop the disease at the first stage.
If the first signs of stye are detected, namely redness, tingling of the eyelash edge, the formation of an abscess can be prevented. This will stop you from wiping the affected area with some antiseptic. Iodine, brilliant green and alcohol will do. Dip a cotton swab into it and gently wipe the eyelid. If the form of the disease is internal, such aggressive substances cannot be used. It is better to take an infusion of chamomile flowers, black tea or a solution of potassium permanganate.

Warming up

It is possible to treat in this way in cases where a lump with pus has not yet appeared. Otherwise, heating will provoke rapid growth of the tubercle and an unexpected breakthrough, which will significantly worsen the situation. The following products are used for the procedure:

• Sea or regular salt, always in cotton cloth - no longer than 15 minutes.
• Boiled potatoes in their jackets - they should not be too hot, the duration of the procedure is half an hour.
• Boiled egg white - approximately 7-10 minutes.
• Baked onion.

Improved immunity

Barley is prevented by adjusting the menu. You should exclude the following harmful foods from your daily menu:

In order for the immune system to properly perform its function, you need to stop eating sandwiches.

• mayonnaise, sunflower oil and margarine;
• fatty meat and fish;
• smoked and fried food;
• fast food and “quick” sandwiches;
• semi-finished products;
• store-bought preserves;
• hot spices, including turmeric;
• seasonings that contain harmful food additives.

Instead, you should stick to a diet. It should include taking proteins, vitamins and microelements. This will help improve your metabolism. The most suitable products for this:

• meat - lean chicken, turkey, rabbit carcass;
• fish and seafood - pollock, river trout, oysters, seaweed;
• steamed vegetables - broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, zucchini;
• low-fat dairy products - cheese, cottage cheese, homemade yogurt, milk;
• porridge - buckwheat, oatmeal, rice, lentils.