A Close-up Look at Styes

May 25, 2021

It’s not unusual for anyone to develop a stye in his (or her) eye. Perhaps you have noticed that someone appears to have a small pimple-like bump that is on his eyelid. Or maybe you yourself have had one. This protrusion is commonly called a stye. Its medical name is a hordeolum, and it’s due to a blocked oil gland. These small, red, painful bulges grow from the base of your eyelash or under your eyelid. Most styes are caused by a bacterial infection.

Optometrists are healthcare professionals who can identify and help you treat a stye. The office of Tropicana/215 Fwy is committed to the vision health of all of our clients. Optometrists provide primary vision care, and their expertise ranges from testing sight to diagnosing, treating and managing vision changes. These trained experts play an important part in patients’ vision by managing and rectifying maladies of the eyes, as well as providing care to their whole system and related structures. 

There are two types of styes. An external hordeolum starts at the base of an eyelash, and most are caused by an infection in the hair follicle. An internal hordeolum is a stye inside an eyelid, and most are due to an infection in an eyelid’s oil-producing gland.

Styes can also pop up because of bacterial blepharitis, which is an abscess (a collection of pus surrounded by inflamed tissue) that may form in the sweat glands or hair follicles in the front layer of the eyelid.

Styes can form quickly and tend to be red and sensitive to the touch. The affected eye may also be tender and scratchy.

Conditions diagnosed as styes are curable and are no cause for concern. Your normal eye condition should return to normal after the stye has been treated. The office of Tropicana/215 Fwy has earned the trust of all of our customers and looks forward to earning yours. For more information about our business and services, please don’t hesitate to come in or call for an appointment.