I'm seriously about to start cutting until this annoyance is gone. I get these about every 2-3 years.

quote:

Originally posted by Sock Eating Golden:
I get these about every 2-3 years.

You probably already know this, but hold a warm compress (e.g. wash cloth) up against the eyelid and follow by washing the eyelid with Johnson's baby shampoo.

I get styes about every decade, and I got my last one the day before LASIK surgery. The opthalmologist obviously didn't perform the LASIK, but I was surprised when he recommended the warm compress followed by Johnson's baby shampoo.

I don't know what the infecting agent was, but when I lived in California's Central Valley I got frequent styes and boils (they are related). One boil on my leg got ~4 inches across and also came back in the same spot some time later. I moved away, to the Mojave Desert region, and have not had another one since, including my almost 10 years in the South. Weird.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: egregore,

Like tatortodd said. I used to get ‘em too, mainly on my upper eyelids. The last one, ten years ago, required surgery. My ophthalmologist advised the tatortodd method. I now practice a slight variation.

I dip a washcloth, folded to four thicknesses, in hot water, then hold it against my eyelids for a few seconds. Repeat several times. Then several more times with a single thickness of washcloth, massaging my eyelids through it with my three middle fingers. I don’t use the baby shampoo any longer.

I've had success using a hot tea bag.

Home surgery is not recommended. Using warm compresses is the way to go.

As a child, IIRC my mother would boil water and mix in boric acid. Does this sound familiar, or am I wrong on the boric acid?

Found this, there are more examples of using this if you google the subject.

HomeConditionsNatural Treatment for Stye
Natural Treatment for Stye
Conditions October 25, 2012

Styes occurs when a sebaceous gland around the eyelid gets infected that at the beginning looks like a small red swallow that grows bigger and it usually lasts up to one week.

If one week has passed and the stye around your eye is still there, then you probably have chalazion, an infection of a more profound sebaceous gland and this can last up to 2-3 weeks.
Boric Acid, the Natural Treatment for Stye
Still, no need to worry since we have found for you a natural treatment for stye that has worked for so many until today. This is an old classic remedy for stye which implies buffering the sties with a cotton pad smeared in a solution made of boric acid dissolved in warm water.
For those who didn’t know until now, boric acid is a very powerful antiseptic and can be found under the form of white powder. Also, as an alternative you can also use ophthalmic ointments based on kanamycin or neomycin which are both broad spectrum antibiotics that help you heal from sties and prevent relapses.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:

quote:

Originally posted by Sock Eating Golden:
I get these about every 2-3 years.

You probably already know this, but hold a warm compress (e.g. wash cloth) up against the eyelid and follow by washing the eyelid with Johnson's baby shampoo.

I get styes about every decade, and I got my last one the day before LASIK surgery. The opthalmologist obviously didn't perform the LASIK, but I was surprised when he recommended the warm compress followed by Johnson's baby shampoo.

I get them occasionally, and this is what my optometrist recommended minus the baby shampoo.


I usually get them on an upper lid. The sensation of the warm compress is wonderful.

This works well for any abscessed infection, by the way. I used to get frequent staph infections, and I would do this because it felt so wonderful, and it helped with the process of getting the damned things to pop so that we could get on with the healing.

Since switching to Retaine eye drops, have not had any more. Could be coincidence. Spent couple thousand going to the eye doc

Be careful. I still have nightmares over "Dead Man's Eyes," starring Lon Chaney, Jr. I was diagnosed with bliferitis (yeah, its a real thing.) Treatment was gentle scrubbing of the eyelid margins with warm water and baby shampoo several times daily. Prevention consists of a gentle scrub twice daily, but you can ease up on the shampoo. If not better in 10 days, laser surgery is available. PM me (email in profile) if you want the name of a good doctor for the laser stuff. I believe we're in the same general locale.

Got them a lot. Finally went to a doc and he recommended hot compress for ten minute, Systane eyelid wipes, and fish oil for Omega 3. couldn't keep wash rags warm enough for ten minutes so I cut a small red potato in half and microwaved it for a few seconds and it would stay warm. Substituted baby shampoo the wipes. Didn't have any for a couple of years. Last year one started to form again. Wife sewed a little pillow filled with rice that I could microwave and use as a reusable compress. Works great and the stye didn't get bigger.