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I've been a lurker on this site for much of the 8 months since I had LASIK back in April 2007. I count myself fortunate that for the most part, my dry eye symptoms seem to be reletively mild and are typically limited to an occasional mild burning sensation, but I've followed much of the advice found here on a "just-in-case" basis. My question today isn't actually related to dry eye at all, but rather is related to styes and eye-hygene. Since eye-hygene is such an important part of dry-eye treatment, I'd hoped I might get some advice here.
I've periodically experienced styes on my eyelids for as long as I can remember (20+ years) . Sometimes I go longer periods with no issues, and other times I'll seem to get one every few weeks or so. They seem to be more frequent during periods of my life when I was wearing contact lenses, but certainly weren't limited to those periods.
My styes are generally very small and only mildly irritating (sometimes feels like an eyelash is getting in my eye). I've seen photos on the web of some fairly large styes and descriptions indicating they can be painfull. I've never had one larger than the normal edge of my eyelid, and I've never had one that I would describe as "painful", only irritating. My "treatment" for these has always been to puncture them with a sterile needle, express the contents of the stye with the edge of the needle, and use a cotton swab to gently dab the area where the stye used to be with rubbing achohol or hydrogen peroxide. This approach has always provided immedate relief, and I don't think I've ever had an immediate re-occurance of a stye. That said, I've recently learned a bit more about styes, including the fact that they are caused by bacteria infecting the eyelash folicle, and it's generally considered a bad idea to puncture them the way I have for the past 20 years. Go figure.
The recommended treatment is to apply a warm compress for 10 minutes 4 times a day, which should clear the stye within a few days. I've also read that you shouldn't wear contact lenses when you have a stye (which I've also done for the past 20 years). Going without lenses for several days is now a big issue for me, as I rely on RGP lenses to correct Higher Order Aberrations that resulted from my LASIK. I see very poorly in moderate to dim lighting without my RGP lenses, and glasses will do nothing for these symptoms.
All this recent information started me thinking about why I seem to get styes much more frequently than my wife (she hasn't had one in years). This led me down the path of thinking more about prevention of styes rather than treatment of styes. My wife washes her face (and around her eyes) daily when she removes her makeup. I'm a bit embarrased to admit it, but I, on the other hand rarely wash around my eyes (other than the water that trickles by my eyes when I shower). In my research I've read that lid-scrubs can be an effective preventative measure agains styes, and that made me think of the time I've spent lurking on this site.
Problem is, I've never seen a really good explanation of exactly what a lid scrub is. Is it simply closing your eyes and washing your outer eyelids and around the eyelashes (pretty easy), or does it actually involve lifting the eyelid and washing the sensitive inner edge of the lid below the eyelashes (a bit more intimidating)?
In either case, I wonder if starting the practice of just washing my face and outer lids in the evenings with a mild facial soap (as my wife does) would be enough to reduce the occurences of styes on my lids.
Sorry if this post is too off topic for these forums, but I welcome any comments.
Thanks!
I've periodically experienced styes on my eyelids for as long as I can remember (20+ years) . Sometimes I go longer periods with no issues, and other times I'll seem to get one every few weeks or so. They seem to be more frequent during periods of my life when I was wearing contact lenses, but certainly weren't limited to those periods.
My styes are generally very small and only mildly irritating (sometimes feels like an eyelash is getting in my eye). I've seen photos on the web of some fairly large styes and descriptions indicating they can be painfull. I've never had one larger than the normal edge of my eyelid, and I've never had one that I would describe as "painful", only irritating. My "treatment" for these has always been to puncture them with a sterile needle, express the contents of the stye with the edge of the needle, and use a cotton swab to gently dab the area where the stye used to be with rubbing achohol or hydrogen peroxide. This approach has always provided immedate relief, and I don't think I've ever had an immediate re-occurance of a stye. That said, I've recently learned a bit more about styes, including the fact that they are caused by bacteria infecting the eyelash folicle, and it's generally considered a bad idea to puncture them the way I have for the past 20 years. Go figure.
The recommended treatment is to apply a warm compress for 10 minutes 4 times a day, which should clear the stye within a few days. I've also read that you shouldn't wear contact lenses when you have a stye (which I've also done for the past 20 years). Going without lenses for several days is now a big issue for me, as I rely on RGP lenses to correct Higher Order Aberrations that resulted from my LASIK. I see very poorly in moderate to dim lighting without my RGP lenses, and glasses will do nothing for these symptoms.All this recent information started me thinking about why I seem to get styes much more frequently than my wife (she hasn't had one in years). This led me down the path of thinking more about prevention of styes rather than treatment of styes. My wife washes her face (and around her eyes) daily when she removes her makeup. I'm a bit embarrased to admit it, but I, on the other hand rarely wash around my eyes (other than the water that trickles by my eyes when I shower). In my research I've read that lid-scrubs can be an effective preventative measure agains styes, and that made me think of the time I've spent lurking on this site.
Problem is, I've never seen a really good explanation of exactly what a lid scrub is. Is it simply closing your eyes and washing your outer eyelids and around the eyelashes (pretty easy), or does it actually involve lifting the eyelid and washing the sensitive inner edge of the lid below the eyelashes (a bit more intimidating)?
In either case, I wonder if starting the practice of just washing my face and outer lids in the evenings with a mild facial soap (as my wife does) would be enough to reduce the occurences of styes on my lids.
Sorry if this post is too off topic for these forums, but I welcome any comments.
Thanks!
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