Anybody have any ideas on what to do with a Stye?

[kansasgal]

I have a stye on the lower eyelid, and it is KILLING me...it's puffy and painful, and other then holding warm compresses to it, I don't know what else to do (I haven't had one in a long time).

Any ideas?

[Kittish]

I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on television, but here's what I did the last time I had an eye problem (I stabbed myself in the eye with a plant, and it itched and hurt and was all red and irritated). I got some distilled water, took about a cup of it and made a weak tea of peppermint and chamomile in a VERY clean pot, making sure the water came to a rolling boil before adding my tea sachet and letting it steep for a few minutes. I carefully put some of this weak tea into a sterilized eye dropper bottle and applied a couple of drops into my eye when the itching and hurting got bad, keeping the bottle in the refrigerator in the meantime. The drops felt very soothing, and in two days my eye was, as far as I could see, well healed up from being poked.

My alternate suggestion would be to get some visine or similar eyedrops (something that's essentially just sterile saline solution), and chill them (if you're comfortable with using chilly eyedrops) and use just those for a day or two. Possibly consider switching from warm to cool compresses, as well.

[Mishi]

I know it's a superstition, but I've found that gently and briefly rubbing it with a (clean) gold ring once or twice a day helps. I used to get them all the time until I tried it and I haven't had a bad one in years. I don't know why it works, but I'm glad that it does.

[Sleepwalker]

Are you sure it is a stye? It might actually be a pocket of infection, ie zit, abscess, bug bite, w/e. I had one on my eyelid before, I eventually drained it with a sterilized needle and it healed up within a day. It was horrific. ;(

Just bears repeating, IT WAS ON THE OUTSIDE OF MY EYE LID, not on the actual eye. Please don't do anything to threaten your eyeball.

[sevendaysky]

I always thought styes appeared only on the top eyelid, but could be wrong. Warm compresses are pretty much it - though if it's large and extremely annoying you could get a doctor to lance it for you (they have sterile equipment and procedures, you probably don't, heh); some people have said that antibiotic ointments help a little.

[Dasota]

A hot as you can stand washcloth or tea bag pressed over the offending eye usually does the trick for me. Again, not a doctor, nurse or anything in the medical field at all, this is just what my parents would do to me when i would get styes all the time as a kid.

[kansasgal]

yeah, it is pretty annoying. I'll try the gold ring and the teabag thing..there's not a head to lance, so I don't want to try that if I don't have to. It may just be and infected eyelash, but the heat will bring it out either way. Thanks for the help!

[iradney]

This is beyond the scope of this forum - Consult with a doctor. Thread closed.