Stye Treatment in Ayurveda

What is Stye?

A stye is an inflammation of the eyelid that leads to pus buildup. It is a reddish lump on the outer area of the eyelid. In most cases, the infection is triggered by a bacteria called staphylococcus. Less likely, the cause is an infection in the clogged gland or follicle.

When touched, it can appear to be very painful and uncomfortable.

Also called hordeolum, a stye can also develop on the inside of the lid. But those that form on the outside or external may turn yellow and release pus. With that being said, internal styes are more intense in terms of pain.

If you apply a warm press against the stye, pus may release more readily, and you can get rid of pain and swelling in the first place. But doing this may also elevate your risk of infection in the surrounding area. Moreover, it is never a good idea to do that as likely you may develop stye in response to this, again in the future. So, diagnosis and treatment are important.

Types of Stye

A stye can be internal or external of the eyelid.

External styes. Styes that appear on the outer of the eyelid are more common. They often begin in an eyelash follicle. Mostly they begin in an eyelash follicle; occasionally, they may begin in a sebaceous gland.

Internal styes. Internal styes are those that begin in a meibomian gland within the eyelid tissue. The outer growth or pimple may pressurize the eye as they grow, so they are more painful.

The pus due to an infection usually comes to the head. It creates a yellowish spot on top of the stye.

Signs and Symptoms

Mostly, styes affect only one eye at a time. With that being said, a person may have more than one stye in the same eye or one in each eye. A person may have swelling on the eyelid, bringing tears to the eyes as it turns red.

The usual symptoms of a stye can include:

a lump on the eyelid
swelling
pain or discomfort when blinking
crusting of the margins of the eyelids
redness or tenderness in the area
itching of the eye
discharge of mucus from the eye
light sensitivity
tearing
a feeling of an object in the eye
blurry vision

If the symptoms do not subside within a week and you have vision issues arising out of this, and if the swelling becomes intense and painful and it bleeds, you should immediately seek help.

Patients may also witness burning sensations in the eye, drooping of the eyelids, etc. More or less, the signs are similar in anyone who experiences stye.

Causes

The main cause of the stye is the bacteria that stay on the surface of the eyelid and block an oil duct. Over time, this leads to inflammation in which outer growth may get filled with germs and dead skin cells on the edge of the eyelid.

A stye may also appear as a pimple near an eyelash. The painful zits may last several days before they actually burst out and heal eventually. In most cases, stye heals on its own and lasts only a couple of days. Others may expect a doctor’s cue.

Eyelash follicle: The small holes in the skin that sit around the eyes that sit around the eyelid and void through the ducts into the eyelashes. If something blocks the duct, the oil cannot drain and starts building in the glands instead. This may cause the gland to appear swollen and inflamed, resulting in outer growth.
Sebaceous (Zeis) gland: This gland is responsible for the production of sebum and is linked to the eyelash follicle. Sebum intrudes lubrication and prevents the eyelash from drying out.
Apocrine (Moll) gland: This gland also prevents eyelashes from drying out. It is a sweat gland that drains into the eyelash follicle.

Causes of external hordeolum may include:

The most common cause is the infection in the meibomian gland. These glands produce a substance that makes up a portion of the film that covers the eye.

Risk Factors

Several factors likely swell the risk of getting stye, and these may include:

using cosmetics after they have expired
not removing eye makeup before sleeping
not disinfecting contact lenses before their usage
using contact lenses without washing or cleaning your hands
bad nutrition choices
sleep deprivation

Ayurvedic treatment for Styes

Ayurveda recommends that if symptoms of stye do not get better within a week, you should see a doctor. As per Ayurveda, stye is the vitiation of Rakta Dhatu and named Anjananamika. It is characterized by the Pitta dosha, which results in the aggravation of other doshas as well. An internal stye is also compared with Utsangini and Kumbhika.

The aim of ayurvedic medicine is to cleanse and nourish the dhatus involved in the function of the eyes. For better and permanent recovery, it is recommended that the immune system is strengthened using herbal concoctions, therapies, and procedures.

Panchakarma therapies can also be used in the condition to work on the underlying cause of stye, such as:

Nasya
Netra Vasti
Shirodhara and Shiro Abhyanga

The purpose of ayurvedic treatment is to help release stress from the body so that your immune system stays healthy and be able to heal most illnesses on its own.

At AyuKarma, we employ procedures that are considered completely safe for the patient’s health. Our treatment is purely authentic and inclusive of herbal concoctions only. Your health is our commitment, and we continuously aim to strive for those goals.

Get to us if you are experiencing any signs of stye and looking for natural ways to work out on it.