Do your child's eye styes keep coming back?
Eye styes are a common childhood ailment, and during the hot summer months, increased oil secretion from the skin makes them particularly prone to outbreaks. Paediatrician Dr. Chan Yan-wing reminds parents that if a child frequently suffers from recurring eye styes, special attention should be paid, as it could be caused by a parasite on the eyelashes called "Demodex," which requires laboratory testing.
During the hot summer months, children are particularly prone to developing styes.
Paediatrician Dr Chan Yan-wing explained: "Both the upper and lower eyelids have oil glands, which are responsible for secreting oil to slow down tear evaporation, keeping the eyes moist." When oil secretion is excessive, or the skin is inflamed, the openings of the oil glands become blocked, causing the oil to swell within the glands, forming a lump resembling a stye. However, if a stye is not infected by bacteria, it will not cause pain or itchiness, but merely a noticeable lump on the eyelid.
Eye styes can last for some time. If you rub your eyes because they feel uncomfortable, or if you touch your eyes with unwashed hands, it can cause an infection, and the eye stye and eyelid area will quickly become red and swollen.
In this situation, the doctor will prescribe antibiotic eye ointment, or additional oral antibiotics.
In the early stages of a stye, the main treatment is "warm compresses" to alleviate the condition and allow the stye to heal on its own.
Method
Soak the towel in hot water, apply it to your eyes, and reheat it as it cools.
While applying a hot compress, continue to massage your eyelids for about 10 to 15 minutes. This helps to open the oil glands on the eyelids, allowing the blocked oil to slowly drain out.
When the towel becomes cool, it needs to be changed.
This happens 4 to 5 times a day and heals in about 2 weeks.
Frequent styes may require surgery
The most "headache-inducing" thing about eye styes is their frequent recurrence. If they recur too often and don't heal with warm compresses and medication, you may need a doctor to surgically remove the stye.
The doctor also understands that parents do not want their children to have surgery. "Children don't even like people examining their eyes, let alone undergoing an operation." This is a last resort, having no other option.
Dr Chan pointed out that the operation required anaesthesia to be administered while the child was asleep, and that under the anaesthetist's supervision, the removal would be completed within a few minutes.
Another persistent eye stye condition can be triggered by "Demodex," a parasite found in eyelashes. Dr. Chan stated that this condition requires collecting eyelash samples from the patient and examination to confirm, and advised seeking medical attention for the child as soon as possible.
Source: Dr. Chan Yan Wing
