What is a Stye?
Stye’s are very common infections that come from your individual eyelashes.

What do they look like?
Usually you can see a stye on your lashes as a small white spot. Stye’s can cause the eye lids to become red, tender and also quite swollen.

What causes them?
Stye’s can be caused by a few different things, such as: Underlying infections, long term blepharitis and a more common factor being a blockage of the eyelid ducts. This usually happens when the oily substance that helps to lubricate the eye cannot be transported correctly.

How do I avoid them?

You can help to prevent getting a stye by:
•    Replacing your eye makeup every 6 months as bacteria can grow in makeup.
•    An eye bath which can be purchased at your local pharmacy or opticians.
•    A home remedy which involves putting a small amount of baby shampoo in a bowl and mixing with war water and wiping the eye with a cotton ball.

Treatment
The best treatment for a stye is applying a hot compress such as an eye bag, which are stocked at your local Opticare Opticians. If you’re unable to access an eyebag, an at home remedy is boiling a cup of water, putting a tea spoon in it and allowing to cool so it doesn’t burn your skin then apply to the infected area. This should cause the stye to release some discharge and reduce irritation.

Have any concerns?

If you are concerned that you may have an eye infection such as a stye, contact us at Opticare Opticians to arrange an appointment.
Ayrshire:  01475 673985 or opticarelargs@gmail.com
Glasgow: 0141 332 8444 or opticareglasgow@gmail.com