Stye
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Stye | |
|---|---|
| Classification and external resources | |
 A regular stye on a person's eye |
|
| ICD-10 | H00. |
| ICD-9 | 373.11 |
| DiseasesDB | 12583 |
| MedlinePlus | 001009 |
| eMedicine | emerg/755 |
| MeSH | D006726 |
An external stye (pronounced /ˈstaɪ/) or hordeolum (/hɔrˈdiːələm/) is an infection of the sebaceous glands of Zeis at the base of the eyelashes, or an infection of the apocrine sweat glands of Moll.[1] External styes form on the outside of the lids and can be seen as small red bumps. Internal styes are infections of the meibomian sebacious glands lining the inside of the eyelids. They also cause a red bump underneath the lid with only generalized redness and swelling visible on the outside. Styes are similar to chalazia, but tend to be of smaller size and are more painful and usually produce no lasting damage. Styes are characterized by an acute onset and usually short in duration (7-10 days without treatment) compared to chalazia that are chronic and usually do not resolve without intervention.
Contents |
[edit] Causes
Styes are commonly caused by a Staphylococcus aureus bacterial infection, or by the blocking of an oil gland at the base of the eyelash. Although they are particularly common in infants, styes are experienced by people of all ages. Styes can be triggered by stress, poor nutrition or sleep deprivation. Using the same razor to shave hair near both the eyes and a mustache can also spread staphylococcus bacteria, potentially leading to styes or other eye infections. Sharing of washcloths or face towels should be curtailed to avoid spreading the infection between individuals.[2][3] Styes will last from up to 3 weeks to 2 years without treatment, and only up to 1 week if treated properly.[4][5]
Medical professionals will sometimes lance a particularly persistent or irritating stye with a needle in order to accelerate its draining.[6] A stye's expansion can also be fought with erythromycin ophthalmic ointment.[7] Medical professionals may also treat stye with other antibiotics such as chloramphenicol or Amoxicillin.[8] Chloramphenicol is used successfully in many parts of the world but is not approved by the F.D.A. in the United States due to concerns about aplastic anemia, which on rare occasions can be fatal. Erythromycin ointment enjoys widespread usage and may add to comfort and aid in preventing secondary infections. However, it is poorly absorbed when used topically and usually requires oral dosing to reach the infection with therapeutic levels onside of a stye. Azasite, a topical eye drop form of Azithromycin, does appear to penetrate eyelid tissues fairly well and may be a topical treatment for styes used in the future.
If a stye bursts, care must be taken to cleanse the wound to prevent reinfection.
[edit] See also
 |
Look up stye in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
[edit] References
- ^ Eyelid lumps, on, inside or under the eye lid. Retrieved March 19, 2007
- ^ http://www.doctorslounge.com/pediatrics/forums/backup/topic-18060.html
- ^ http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/are-styes-contagious.html
- ^ VisionWeb
- ^ BBC - Health - Ask the doctor - Styes
- ^ Sty (Stye, Hordeolum) Causes, Infection Symptoms and Treatment by MedicineNet.com
- ^ eMedicine - Hordeolum
- ^ eMedicine - Periorbital Infections : Article by R Gentry Wilkerson, MD.
[edit] External links
- More information on Stye on Yahoo Health
- 409665546 at GPnotebook
- 20-228f. at Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy Home Edition
