Stye
A stye is an isolated inflammation of some of the eyelid glands. There are two types of stye: external and internal.
Outer stye is called inflammatory disease of a modified fatty gland in a hair follicle, similar to boils. It occurs in puberty, in people with refractive abnormalities and in diabetics.
The disease begins with slight diffuse edema and reddening of the free eyelid end and with a slight soreness. Later, the inflammatory manifestations intensify. The patient begins to feel burning, heaviness and more intense pain. At this stage, due to the general swelling of the entire eyelid, the disease can be mistaken for an abscess of the entire eyelid.
Four to five days after the start of the process, the yellowish apex of the Stye usually forms at the site of the diseased hair follicle. Soon the Stye is pierced and a little yellow pus escapes from it. With this, the feeling of heaviness and pain diminishes and even disappears completely. The healing occurs in about 7-10 days.
Internal Stye is present when inflammation is trapped in the modified oily glands of the eyelid. Here, in comparison with the outer Stye, the process is deeper, encompasses a larger gland and flows more severely. The swelling is greater, the redness is greater, and the sensation of heaviness and pain is greater.
Treatment of both external and internal Stye should be initiated with warm applications. In addition, disinfectant compresses are applied. Stye is never squeezed due to the risk of infection spreading to the orbit, respectively, of thrombophlebitis of the orbital veins or of the cavernous sinus.
