This kind of unpleasant inflammation is probably familiar to everyone. This acute abscess of the sebaceous gland located at the edge of the eyelash or its hair follicle causes bacterial infection. Moreover, often the causative agent of infection is Staphylococcus aureus. Such a bacterium of the genus Staphylococcus, long time lives quite calmly in the human body until a certain process provokes infection, and staphylococcus causes more than a hundred diseases.
In medicine, barley is divided into external and internal. Moreover, if the external inflammation is an abscess of the eyelash follicle or the sebaceous gland adjacent to it, then barley on the inner eyelid is characterized by inflammation of the meibomian gland, that is, the fatty gland of the cartilaginous plate of the eyelid.
The disease is most often caused by microbes and fungi, but in some cases a microscopic mite can also cause stye. After hitting sebaceous gland or hair follicle microorganisms multiply rapidly, the duct into the gland becomes clogged, and the gland itself fills with pus. Moreover, if the infection passes from one follicle to another, the development of several styes is quite possible.
Inflammation can be triggered by a number of reasons, for example, stress, hypothermia, lack of sleep, lack of personal hygiene, colds, vitamin deficiencies, prolonged exposure to a polluted atmosphere (in a dusty room or room with poor ventilation), use of someone else’s cosmetics, anemia (anemia), hereditary predisposition , conjunctivitis, blepharitis, as well as ticks on the eyelashes. The risk group includes, first of all, children and adolescents whose immunity is not strong enough, people with oily skin, contact lens wearers and patients diabetes mellitus. In addition, women are susceptible to inflammation to a much greater extent than men, since they touch their eyes much more often when applying cosmetics.
Usually barley, both internal and external, occurs quite quickly. At first, the eyelid begins to itch, but scratching it is strictly not recommended, because this can cause infection of neighboring follicles. The itching is soon followed by swelling and redness, and then pain, which only intensifies with pressure. To see inflammation with internal styes, you just need to pull back the edge of the lower eyelid or pull back and turn out the upper one. In some cases, a stye may prevent the eyelid from opening completely.
After 2-3 days, a white or yellowish head appears at the top of the abscess, indicating that the abscess is maturing. When the head ruptures, pus is released from it, as well as pieces of dead tissue. In this case, the internal barley is opened and then emptied into the conjunctival sac.
The stye itself does not cause serious complications if it is not squeezed out or punctured. Otherwise, the infection can penetrate into the blood or deep into the eye, causing an abscess of the eyelid, thrombosis of the ocular veins, and sometimes even sepsis or meningitis. This means that the release of pus should be natural.
In order to decide how to treat stye on the upper eyelid, you need to consult an ophthalmologist. During an in-person examination, a doctor specializing in the treatment of diseases of the eyeball and its appendages will make a diagnosis and prescribe medicines for a specific case.
The specialist will describe in detail how to treat barley, and will explain popularly that this is a local inflammation, a small boil that arises as a result of penetration of pyogenic microflora into the eye area, which provokes an infectious process.
What contributes to infection
At the onset of the disease, internal styes on the upper eyelid appear suddenly; usually the entire eyelid swells, and not a specific area at its edge. Swelling of the skin of the eyelid and conjunctiva occurs. The inner side of the eyelid is affected.
An abscess forms. After its maturation and spontaneous opening, purulent mass and dead tissue flow into the conjunctival sac. The pain immediately decreases sharply and inflammation subsides.
In medical circles, internal stye is called meibomitis. The maturation process is often accompanied the following symptoms: headache, increased body temperature.
The causes of infection may be: 
- weakening of the immune system,
- diabetes;
- dental disease;
- tonsillitis;
- drafts;
- overwork;
- depressive states;
- hypothermia of the body.
Barley inside upper eyelid may be complicated by orbital phlegmon, abscess, meningitis. In the acute form of meibomitis, damage to the eyelid is observed not at the edge, as with barley, but in the depths of the cartilaginous tissue, which can be observed when the eyelid is everted.
Treatment methods
On initial stage when the eyelid is only slightly reddened, in time measures taken there is a chance to avoid the growth of barley on inside upper eyelid.
In order to prevent the spread of the disease or its resumption, a 20% solution of sodium sulfacyl should be instilled into the eye 4-6 times a day, and tetracycline or erythromycin ointment should be placed in the conjunctival sac at night.
For rapid spontaneous or complete resorption, dry heat has a beneficial effect.
- To warm barley under the eyelid, you can use hard-boiled chicken egg, warm, wrapped in a napkin and applied to the eye.
- The clinic may prescribe a red light, UHF.
- Hot and cold compresses, applied alternately, promote rapid ripening of the stye head and rapid release of the contents.
After opening on inner surface century, tetracycline ointment, syntomycin emulsion or albucidal ointment are applied 2 times a day. If several barleys develop, merging into one, then general state the person’s condition worsens, the temperature rises, the submandibular and parotid lymph nodes swell.
In this case, treatment with sulfonamide drugs or antibiotics is indicated. modern type(Tsiprolet or Tobrex), vitamins, yeast preparations. If internal stye appears on the eye, it is forbidden to wear contact lenses or use cosmetics during therapy.
Traditional methods
- Traditional medicine recommends applying lotions and compresses to the sore eye with a tincture of calendula and valerian flowers, diluted 10 times.
- Aloe is also used: you need to cut off the leaf, wash it, squeeze out the juice, dilute it with cold water 1:10.
- For barley, it is recommended to take 7 small yellow tansy flowers 4 times a day with plain water.
If stye on the upper eyelid bothers you, treatment fresh flowers tansy will help get rid of it and prevent recurrences. Warm lotions made from eyebright tea mixed with an equal amount of chamomile help. Treatment must be continued until the stye under the eyelid has matured and its contents have drained out.
Meibomite and meibomian cyst
Sometimes the infiltrate does not resolve and a small compaction remains after the stye; this painless formation, no larger than a pea, is called a meibomian cyst. It's harmless, but it's conspicuous and disturbing. cosmetic defect and also an unpleasant sensation, as if something had gotten into the eye.
In this case, the only effective method The method that provides a comprehensive answer to how to treat stye on the eye in a specific situation is surgical removal. This is a quick, painless operation performed under local anesthesia.
Acute meibomitis is prone to frequent relapses, which are usually observed against the background of reduced immunity and general weakening of the body. In most cases, acute meibomitis degenerates into chronic and is almost always accompanied by conjunctivitis.
To the question often asked to doctors, how, there is a clear answer that quick treatment will not happen. It will take at least 8 days until the infiltration completely resolves and subsequent soft scarring occurs. It is important to prevent the development of chalazion, a chronic inflammation of the cartilage around the meibomian gland.
Video
Barley is an inflammatory purulent process in the area of the hair follicle of the eyelash or its sebaceous duct. Most often it occurs on the upper eyelid and is very painful, so patients are puzzled by the question of how to quickly cure stye.
Mechanism of disease development
An abscess on the upper eyelid appears as a result of the development of a staphylococcal infection. Typically infection occurs as a result of:
- using someone else's cosmetics;
- excessive rubbing of the eyes with dirty hands;
- microdamage to the mucous membrane of the eye after exposure to specks.
Barley on the upper eyelid usually occurs against a background of reduced immunity, since in good health the body is able to suppress the development of infection. Due to unstable immune function, stye often appears in children.
Other factors contribute to the development of the disease:
Barley also occurs in the following cases:
- V recovery period after operation;
- after severe hypothermia;
- due to regular lack of sleep and stressful situations.
What does barley look like? There are two types of inflammation:
It is not difficult to get rid of styes on the upper eyelid. In 90% of cases it goes away on its own without use. medicines. But, do not forget that the cause of the appearance of an abscess is a bacterial infection, and you should not let the process take its course.
It is also strictly forbidden to squeeze out pus and heat ripened stye on the eyelid with purulent contents. Such manipulations lead to the spread of infection and the development of complications.
Traditional Treatments
The sooner therapy is started, the faster recovery will occur, so the patient needs to know how to treat stye on the upper eyelid at the infiltration stage. Traditional remedies from barley:
- cauterization;
- lotions;
- compresses;
- eye ointments.
How to treat barley before it suppurates, while only a red lump exists is listed below:
In the first two days medicinal compresses used before using other medications. To reduce the activity of pathogenic bacteria and reduce the inflammatory process, lubrication with eye ointments is recommended.
What should I apply to my eyelid? Antibacterial eye ointments are used at any stage of stye. It is recommended to smear such medications on the external and internal abscess on the upper eyelid. Symptoms of the disease go away faster if you put eye ointment under the internal abscess. upper eyelid for the night.
Can be used:
- Maxitrol.
- Phloxal.
- Erythromycin ointment.
- Gentamicin ointment.
To remove a stye, you need to instill antibiotic drops into the affected eye three times a day. Before instilling the drops, you need to warm them in your hands, then pull back the upper eyelid and drop 1 drop at a time. The following drops are used:
- Tsipromed.
- Albucid.
- Tobrex.
- Phloxal.
- Okomistin.
Alternative medicine
Treatment folk remedies complements basic therapy, helps relieve painful sensations and itching at the onset of the disease and during the wound healing stage. How to treat stye on the eye using traditional recipes:
Treatment requires compliance with the following rules:
If the inflammation does not go away after 5 days from the start of treatment, the abscess has enlarged and interferes with vision, you should urgently visit an ophthalmologist.
Also, if a purulent formation on the upper eyelid often recurs, it is recommended to undergo additional examination of the body. The doctor may prescribe immunostimulants and antibacterial therapy in tablets.
After opening the abscess, sometimes a dense scar remains. To fix it you will need:
- heating with a UV lamp;
- possible application of Hydrocortisone ointment.
To prevent recurrence of stye, you need to carefully observe eye hygiene. Contact lenses and glasses should be kept clean, avoid touching your eyes with dirty hands, and never use someone else's cosmetics. At proper treatment and following the described recovery rules, the disease, as a rule, does not return.