My eyelid was itchy yesterday and now it’s swollen and
feels like a boil is in the lid. What is it?
The correct term for a boil/cyst on the eyelid is a hordeolum, but its commonly called a ‘stye’ or ‘cat-boil’ here in Guyana. In the eyelids, there are glands that produce the different components of the tears, and these products are secreted through tiny holes on the base of the eyelid. As well, there is an opening on the lid where the eyelash comes out of the hair follicle. If the tiny opening of the glands gets blocked by sweat and dust or dirt, the secretions can no longer come out, so they back up in the lid and cause the swelling of the lid. A stye occurs when bacteria that live normally on skin/eyelids get into these openings and cause an infection, and then the bump becomes red and painful.
I noticed a white spot forming on the bump. Is that pus?
Yes, the white spot represents pus in the stye and is called ‘pointing.’ The point can face outward, or inward towards the eye. It is most common pointing outward. The stye may burst and release pus, or go down without bursting. It tends to go down quicker when the pus is released. People have a tendency to squeeze the stye to burst it. DO NOT DO THIS! This may push the infected pus further back into the lid and also into the healthy tissue next to the stye. Your eye doctor can prescribe an antibiotic ointment along with instructions for treatment.
What can I do to prevent this happening again?
The easiest way is to keep your eyelid area clean. When we wash our face, we do not specifically wash our eye/eyelid area. Our eyelashes are there to prevent things from going into the eyes, so they often will have tiny particles of dust or debris on them. This can contribute to the blockages. So when you wash your face, get into the habit of putting some soap on your fingers and scrubbing the eyelids and lashes (with the eyes closed) and rinsing it off. This will keep the lid area clean and prevent the build-up that leads to styes.