A sty is a boil-like pimple which is found at the edge or inside of eyelashes. It is generally caused by the bacterial infection of sebaceous glands. A sty is extremely painful but fortunately is short-lived and causes no permanent damage. However, being contagious in nature, care should be taken to not spread the infection. The common symptoms of sty are itching, redness, and swelling, accompanied with extreme pain and discomfort. A sty generally goes away on its own in one or two weeks, but meanwhile care should be taken to relieve the pain with some self care remedies.
One of the first things to do is to keep the eye clean. It is extremely important to follow proper hygiene - wash your hands, wear clean clothes, and use disinfectants to clean everything that come in contact with the eye. Make sure that you do not try to burst the sty on your own because it may lead to further infection. Just keep the area clean; swab with cotton balls if it is oozing pus. You should also avoid using any cosmetics when you are suffering from a sty. An easy and effective method to relieve the pain and make the infection to drain out sooner is the application of hot compress. Soak a towel in warm water, wring the water, and use it as a compress on the eyelid for about 10-15 minutes. Repeat this exercise about four times a day. The hot and moist feel soothes the eye as well as makes the sty to flush out on its own sooner. You can use medicated ointments when you use the hot compress. Keep washing your eye with cold water in case you cannot do the hot compress method as frequently. You can also prepare an eye drop by boiling a teaspoon of turmeric powder in two cups of water. Strain the solution with a fine clean cloth to remove any coarse particles. Use this eye drop two to three times in a day. A similar eye drop can also be made by soaking clove in water. Use of alum water can be beneficial too. Dissolve two or three small granules in a cup of water and use it to wash the eye. Teabags are also known to work effectively to relieve pain. Apply a moist teabag on the eyelids as a protective bandage and leave it for as long as an hour. Generally, no special medical or surgical procedures are required to treat a sty; it heals on its own in due time. So, try to bear it for the said duration, and carry on with the home remedies to relieve the pain and expedite the sty to drain out itself sooner.
answered by G R