A sty (sometimes spelled stye) is a tender, painful red bump located at the base of an eyelash or under or inside the eyelid. The medical term for a sty is hordeolum (plural, hordeola).A sty results from an acute infection of the oil glands of the eyelid (meibomian glands) that occurs after these glands have become clogged. A sty also may arise from an infected hair follicle at the base of an eyelash. The bacterium Staphylococcus aureus is responsible for 90%-95% of cases of styes. Staph aureus is frequently found on the skin. A sty can develop as a complication of blepharitis (inflammation of the eyelid).The term external hordeolum has been used to refer to a sty that develops at the base of an eyelash involving a hair follicle of the eyelid, whereas the term internal hordeolum refers to a sty arising due to an inflamed meibomian gland under the eyelid. A sty is sometimes confused with a chalazion, which is a cyst or a specific type of scarring (due to chronic inflammation) arising in the meibomian glands of the eyelid. In contrast to a sty, a chalazion is usually painless.

Alternative Names of Sty are: stye, hordeolum, sties, styes, chalazion, lump on eyelid, blocked gland, oil gland.

Complications of Sty
Complications of a sty are rare.

• The infection may spread to other eyelash follicles, leading to multiple styes.
• A chalazion (a form of scarring of the glands in the eyelid that may include the formation of cysts) is the most common complication that develops from a sty.
• Chalazia can be large enough to deform the cornea of the eye and interfere with vision, and they may cause a cosmetic problem.
• Other potential complications include a generalized infection (cellulitis) of the eyelid, and improper drainage of a sty may lead to deformity or disruption of eyelash growth.
• Progression of a sty to a systemic infection (spreading throughout the body) is extremely rare, and only a few instances of such spread have been recorded.

Causes of Sty

• Stye results from an infection of the hair follicles of the eyelid which leads to blockage of the hair follicles
• It may also results from blocking of the gland by dirt or due to error of refraction.
• Recurrent stye occurs because the infection is spread from one hair shaft to another often by the child rubbing it to relieve itching.
• The real cause of stye is the toxic condition of the child's system brought about by wrong eating habits, especially consumption of foods such as white bread, refined cereals, boiled potatoes, pudding, pies and confectionery.
• The disease makes its appearance when the child is in a run down condition and below par.
• Eye strain is also a subsidiary factor in the onset of stye.

Signs & Symptoms of Sty

• The first symptoms of a sty are generally redness, tenderness, and pain in the affected area.
• A lump on the top or bottom eyelid.
• Localized swelling of the eyelid.
• Tenderness to touch.
• Crusting of the eyelid margins.
• Burning in the eye.
• Droopiness of the eyelid.
• Blurred vision.
• Mucous discharge in the eye.
• Pain.
• Redness.
• The eye may feel irritated or "scratchy.
• Later symptoms can include swelling, discomfort during blinking of the eye, watering of the eye, and sensitivity to light.
• A common sign of a sty is a small, yellowish spot at the center of the bump that develops as pus expands in the area.

Diagnosis of Sty
The doctor determines whether a child has a sty by visually examining the appearance of the eyelid. If the bump is hard and is located deep within the eyelid, it probably is a chalazion. For a patient whose sty has not healed with home treatment, the doctor may test the fluid in the eye to determine the type of bacteria present and prescribe the treatment accordingly.

Treatments of Sty

Treatments depend on the cause.

Common treatments for sties are:

• antibiotic ointments
• antibiotic solutions
• oral antibiotic
• surgery

If sties recur, your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic ointment or solution. Apply it to the eyelid (with your eye closed) as directed.

Prevention of Sty

There are some important tips to prevent eye sty. To prevent eye sty :

• Wash your hands after any activity or after going to the bathroom.
• Avoid touching your eyes as most children do after being tired.
• Touching with bare hand should be avoided especially if you have sore eyes.
• Avoid using pressure to drain the eye sty; it will burst on its own.
• If you try to squeeze the eye sty, infection can seep into the blood stream.
• Do not pop it like a pimple; it can increase the infection to the other eye also.
• If you have touched any wound, pimple or boil, wash your hands thoroughly before touching eyes.
• Use clean disinfected cotton swab or cotton ball to clean areas around eyes to avoid spreading of infection.
• Use two different cotton swabs for both eyes.
• Never share your eye make up; facecloth or towel with others as sharing of these personal objects can cause spreading of infection among various people.

When to seek Medical Advice
Sometimes, complications may occur from a seemingly innocent problem. Immediately contact your ophthalmologist (a medical doctor who specializes in eye care and surgery) if any of the following problems occur:

• The eye is swollen shut.
• Redness appears around the entire eye.
• You have any change or disturbance in your vision.
• Swelling lasts for more than three weeks.
• The stye or styes come back or bleed.
• Your eyelashes fall out.
• The stye is on the bottom eyelid, near the nose.
• The white part of the eye becomes red.
• Pus or thick discharge continues to drain from the eye.
• You have a fever higher than 100.5 F.
• You have excessive persistent tearing.
• You have persistent redness of the surface of the eye.
• You have significant pain.
• The stye recurs, especially if the stye does so in the same location as a previous stye.
• You have swelling of the lymph nodes in your neck.
• You experience double vision.