Styes

HOW DO STYES DEVELOP?
A stye develops when a hair follicle or sweat gland at the base of an eyelash gets infected with bacteria—usually of the Staphylococcus family. The bacteria may be present in the eyelash follicle (the tiny passage where the lash is anchored in the skin) and multiply when the follicle is blocked. Bacteria may be introduced when the child rubs her eyes with dirty hands.

Before the stye appears, the child may complain of eye soreness that feels like a foreign object is caught beneath the eyelid. Swelling of the eyelid follows, accompanied by tearing and redness. Soon afterward, the stye itself forms.

IS MEDICAL ATTENTION NECESSARY?
Only if a stye lasts more than a few days, gets extremely irritated or enlarges significantly. Persistent styes may be treated with antibiotic eye ointment, but this method is rarely necessary.

WHAT TREATMENTS ARE AVAILABLE?
Home remedies are usually effective. Every three or four hours, apply a warm, wet compress to the eye and hold it there for 10 to 20 minutes. Use a clean cloth soaked in fairly warm (but not uncomfortably hot) tap water; a mild saltwater solution may be particularly effective. It is probably not a good idea to use an eye cup (a round container made expressly for soaking the eyes), because they can harbor bacteria and prolong the infection.

Never squeeze a stye. Even if you succeed in pushing out any pus that has accumulated, you risk spreading the infection to other parts of the eye.

PREVENTING STYES

• Discourage eye rubbing.

• Make sure all children have separate wash cloths and towels.

Excerpt from THE DISNEY ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BABY & CHILD CARE, © 1995 DSH Communications, Inc. This material is based on current medical research and, to the best of the editors' knowledge and understanding, is accurate and valid. However the reader should not use information contained in this material to alter a medically prescribed regimen or as a form of self-treatment, without seeking the advice of a licensed physician.