Styes and Chalazions: Everything You Need to Know

Key Highlights

• A stye is a painful, red bump on the eyelid, caused by a bacterial infection of the lash follicle or an oil gland
• A chalazion is a usually painless bump on the eyelid, caused by a blocked oil gland
• Warm compresses are a common home remedy for styes and chalazions
• It’s crucial to practice good hygiene to help prevent styes and chalazions

Introduction

Have you ever had a painful lump on your eyelid? Or a bump that just won’t go away? You might have a stye or chalazion. While these lumps are usually not serious, they can be uncomfortable and might affect your vision by inducing astigmatism. This helpful guide will give you important details about styes and chalazions. It will cover what causes them, their symptoms, how to treat them, and key eye care tips to prevent them from coming back.

Understanding Styes and Chalazions

Styes and chalazions are often confused because they both occur on the eyelids. Styes can involve the lash follicle or meibomian glands (oil glands present in the lids behind the row of eyelashes), while chalazions affect only the glands. It’s important to know these differences to understand how they form and what treatments work for each.

The National Library of Medicine defines a stye as an infection, while a chalazion is a cyst or inflammation. A stye usually appears red, swollen, and painful. On the other hand, a chalazion is less painful and feels like a big, hard pimple.

The Basics of Styes: What You Need to Know

A stye, also called a hordeolum, shows up as a tender red ball at the base of your eyelashes. The NIH states that this painful lump happens when bacteria, usually Staphylococcus aureus, infect either an eyelash follicle or an oil gland near your eyelashes. The infection creates pus and leads to swelling of the eyelid.

External styes are more common and can easly be seen on the outer edge of the eyelid. These typically are due to infected eyelash follicles.

Internal styes are less common and grow deeper inside the lid. They occur when a meibomian gland gets infected. The oil from these glands help keep the eye lubricated. Internal styes can hurt more than external ones.

It is important to notice the signs of a stye so you can treat it quickly. Along with the painful bump, you may have redness, swelling, tearing, light sensitivity, and a gritty feeling on your eyeball.

Chalazions Explained: Symptoms and Differences

A chalazion is different from a stye. It occurs when a meibomian gland becomes blocked. This blockage causes the gland to swell and oil to build up, creating a bump on the eyelid margin. Usually, it appears as a firm, and painless bump. A chalazion can appear on the upper eyelid or the lower eyelid, but it is more common on the upper eyelid.

At first, a chalazion may cause mild tenderness and some redness. As it gets bigger, it can press against the eye (induced astigmastism) and cause blurry vision. Most of the time, chalazions develop slowly and hurt less than styes.

Sometimes, a chalazion can evolve from an untreated stye. It’s important to know that a chalazion is not an infection like a stye. Obtaining the right diagnosis with a complete eye exam is the best way to determine the correct treatment.

Causes and Risk Factors

Both styes and chalazions have similar risk factors. The main difference is that styes result from a bacterial infection. Poor lid hygiene allows bacteria to grow and plays a big role. Not removing eye makeup completely and touching your eyes with dirty hands can spread bacteria to your eyelids. This raises your risk.

Certain skin issues like blepharitis, rosacea, and dandruff can also make it more likely to get these bumps on your eyelids. Moreover, people who wear contacts are at a higher risk for styes and chalazions.

What Causes Styes and Chalazions?

Styes happen when bacteria infect the meibomian glands in your eyelids. The bacteria most often linked to this is called Staphylococcus aureus. This germ can usually be found on your skin and can get into the eyelash follicle and cause an infection. Poor hygiene habits can increase your chances of getting Staph aureus.

For example, touching your eyes with unwashed hands can pass bacteria to your lids. Also, not fully removing eye makeup before going to sleep can block the meibomian glands, letting bacteria grow. Using dirty washcloths or sharing eye makeup can spread bacteria too.

If you wear contact lenses, it’s very important to keep them clean to lower the risk of infection. Always wash your hands well before you touch your lenses. Also, make sure to clean and store them correctly.

Finally, demodex mites, microscopic organisms that naturally live on human skin, can play a role in the development of styes and chalazions. When these mites overpopulate the lash follicles or meibomian glands, they can lead to the formation of styes or chalazions. Managing Demodex populations through proper eyelid hygiene and medical treatment can expedite the issue and prevent frequent recurrence.

Identifying Risk Factors in San Antonio, TX

There are multiple risk factors for developing styes and chalazions as reported by Stanford Health Care. San Antonio, TX, offers a warm climate and unique challenges for maintaining good hygiene, especially during allergy season. The warm and humid weather can help bacteria grow. This increases the chances of getting eye issues like styes and chalazions.

Allergy season runs year round in San Antonio. Rubbing your itchy eyes can spread bacteria from your hands to your lids. It’s very important to practice good hygiene during this time. Make sure to wash your hands often and use clean tissues to wipe any discharge.

Due to the environmental factors in San Antonio, it is important to have a regular eye care routine that focuses on hygiene. This routine should include:

• Washing your hands frequently
• Carefully removing eye makeup
• Staying away from things that might carry bacteria

Treatment Options for Relief

Most styes and chalazions usually get better on their own with the right home care. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, you can help yourself by applying a warm heat mask to the affected eye.

Heating masks are commercially available. They can be heated in a microwave oven and then placed over the eyes. There are even battery powered, digital heating masks available for use. Heat helps soften the blockage and encourages drainage!

While these home remedies work well for mild cases, stubborn styes and chalazions may need medical care from an ophthalmologist. If your condition does not improve after a few days of home care, consult an ophthalmologist.

Home Remedies: Warm Compresses and More

The use of warm compresses is usually the first step in treating styes and chalazions. The heat helps break down the hard oil, which helps it drain and reduces inflammation of the lid(s). If you do not have a proper heating mask, you can apply heat with the following method:

1. Wash your hands well using soap and water.
2. Take a clean washcloth and soak it in hot water. It should feel warm, not too hot.
3. Squeeze out the extra water from the washcloth.
4. Place the warm washcloth directly on your closed eyelid for 10-15 minutes.
5. Do this 3-4 times a day.

In addition to applying heat, you should:

• Practice Good Hygiene: Do not touch your eyes with dirty hands and make sure to remove eye makeup every night.
• Clean Your Eyelids Gently: Mix a little baby shampoo in warm water. Use this to carefully clean your eyelids. This should help remove any dirt or crust. Nowadays, there are commercially available eyelid cleansers that might work better than baby shampoo. These cleansers sometimes include other ingredients like tea tree oil (can kill Demodex mites).

When to Consider Medical Interventions like Antibiotics, Steroids, or Surgery

Home remedies can work well, but sometimes you need to see a doctor for treatment. If a stye or chalazion does not get better after a few days, causes severe pain, affects the whole eyelid, or if it changes your vision, you should see an ophthalmologist. They will know what to do next and might suggest:

• Antibiotic Ointment or Eye Drops: For bacterial infections, especially styes, your doctor might prescribe antibiotic drops or ointment. These can help fight the infection, reduce inflammation, and help you heal.
• Steroid Injection: If a chalazion does not go away with warm compresses or antibiotics, your doctor might use a steroid injection. This goes right into the chalazion and may help reduce inflammation and make the bump smaller. It does come with added risks.
• Surgical Excision: In some cases, if chalazions are large or do not resolve with conservative treatment, a minor surgical procedure could be needed. This usually means making a small incision on the underside of the eyelid with local anesthesia to drain it.

In rare cases, eyelid cancers such as basal cell carcinoma, can sometimes be mistaken for styes or chalazions due to their similar appearance. Unlike styes and chalazions, eyelid cancers do not resolve with home treatment and can gradually worsen over time.

If a lesion on the lids persists, grows, leads to loss of lashes, or shows unusual features like bleeding or irregular borders, it’s important to seek medical care with an ophthalmologist to rule out the possibility of cancer.

Conclusion

In conclusion, knowing the difference between styes and chalazions is very important. This helps with the proper diagnosis and treatment. Home remedies, like warm compresses, can help soothe symptoms. But sometimes, you may need to see an ophthalmologist for an eye exam. If you think you have a stye or chalazion, get professional help sooner than later. Early care help you avoid more serious issues later. If you have more questions or need help, reach out to Dr. Jones and Dr. Triana.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can styes and chalazia lead to serious complications?

While styes and chalazions are usually not a big deal, problems can happen. Sometimes, a bacterial infection can spread from the lid to the orbit. This is called orbital cellulitis and is an emergency.

Infection can spead from the orbit to the brain causing meningitis. This condition could be life-threatening!

If the swollen eyelid presses on your eye, it might cause temporary vision issues (induced astigmatism). You should see a doctor if you have severe pain, difficulty moving the eye, double vision, fever, changes in your vision, or swelling of the eyelid that does not get better with treatment.

Are styes and chalazions contagious to others?

Styes and chalazions are usually not contagious to others according health information at Very Well Health. They are often caused by blockages in meibomian glands (chalazia) or develop due to factors like poor hygiene or rubbing the eyes with unclean hands (styes). You should avoid sharing makeup and regularly clean the affected area.

How long does it take to wait for chalazion to go away?

A chalazion can take several weeks to go away on its own, but it’s essential to keep the area clean and apply warm compresses to help speed up the healing process. If it persists or causes discomfort, consult an ophthalmologist for further treatment options.