My Eye Stye Picture

Stye on the lower eyelid

My very first experience of getting a stye in the eye happened this summer and made me wonder how common or easy it is to get eye infections like these and what we can do to help prevent getting styes in the first place.

Mine was on the lower eyelid, as you can see in this eye stye picture, and although it wasn't very big, it was still extremely sore and gave most discomfort when blinking.

Thankfully, my instinct was to leave my contact lenses out once I had spotted the stye and revert to wearing glasses. Not only was it more comfortable, but I then discovered that wearing contact lenses can increase the chance of the infection spreading.

Eye Stye Picture Infection

Stye on the Eyelid by TeresaTrimm

Some kinds of eye stye infection are much bigger, however, like the one on the upper eyelid in this picture; some can even cause the eyelid to close completely.

Here are some tips on how to prevent styes or other types of eye infection if you're a contact lens wearer:

• Always wash hands thoroughly before touching your eyes or contacts - an absolute must for contact lens wearers!

• If you wear eye makeup, be careful when applying eyeliner to the upper or lower eyelids and watch for any particles of make up that fall into the eye, especially powder eye shadow.

• In addition, ensure you remove all traces of eye makeup THOROUGHLY to avoid any risk of bacteria building up in the eye.

• Make sure you THROW away old eye makeup and avoid buying cheap end of line products which may be close to or past their use by date.

• Don't share eye makeup products with other people, increasing the risk of eye infection.

• If you like to have your eyelashes tinted at beauty salon, do NOT wear contact lenses during the treatment and only wear glasses for 24 hours afterwards. This will prevent any particles of the tint getting into your eyes and possibly under your contacts.

• If you are prone to getting styes and don't want your own eye stye picture collection, try washing your eyes lightly every morning with a wash cloth. This effectively dilutes the liquid in the oil glands of the eyelid, helping to prevent any blockages.

How to Treat a Stye

Styes are ugly but quite harmless and most will actually go away on their own, but if you know how to treat a stye, you can make it reduce more quickly and ease any discomfort.

• Apply a warm compress, like a cotton wool pad soaked in warm water, for 15 minutes 4-5 times per day.

• Use eye drops specially made for eye infections or red eye to reduce any soreness and inflammation.

• If your eye is badly infected, you can try applying a special antibiotic ointment made for styes available from your chemist. But topical treatments can spread the infection if not applied correctly with completely clean hands, so take care.

• If the stye does not disappear after 7 days or your eye is very painful and inflammation is getting worse, visit your eye doctor as you may need to have the stye surgically removed or lanced to remove any bacteria.

If you too are suffering from a painful stye, avoid having to take your own eye stye picture by following the tips above.

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