Imagine waking up one morning. Your eyelids feel heavy. Your tears start and you do not even feel like crying. You try to open your eyes and something just holds them back. You get up and check yourself in the mirror. Do not freak out and cry when you see that big, red lump in your eye.

News flash: you have just got yourself an eye stye.

What is an eye stye?

Nobody wants to have that big, red lump – either on your eyelid or even worse, inside. That is what happens when one has got an eye stye. One of the main causes for this is a bacterial infection. Staphylococcus is the most common bacteria that hits you in the eyelid, causing this annoying stye.

Having an eye stye or two is never fun. You cannot see clearly and oftentimes, you are left with a blurry or a double vision. It gets even worse if the red lump in your eyelid swells really badly. It gives you a really hard time to keep your eyes open. Your eye also tends to water.

Having an eye stye also affects your overall work performance, looks, and social interactions with other people.

If that is the case, then how to prevent us from getting this eye stye? How do we make sure that we will not get it again? Well, based on some of the possible causes, you migh give each a try.

10 Tips on How To Prevent An Eye Stye:

1. Identify the possible causes of the eye stye, even before you might have it. Because once you know why, then you know how to treat it and prevent it from happening again next time.
2. If getting an eye stye happens more than once, perhaps you need to pay more attention to your eyelid hygiene. Just because you can still see very well does not mean you can neglect caring for your own eyes. With a few drops of baby shampoo mixed with warm water, you can wash your eyelids. Give the mixture a stir before gently dabbing your closed eyelids with a wash cloth.

This activity only takes 30 seconds. Not too long, isn’t it?

3. If you tend to get blepharitis or meibomitis, you need to scrub and wash your eyelids clean more often. Aside from homemade eyelid wash, you can also go to the closest pharmacist’s or store that sells special eyelid wash-kit.
4. Compress your eyelids with warm water every night before you go to sleep. It only takes about five to ten minutes. By using a washcloth soaked in warm water, cover your closed eyelids with it. Other alternatives include heating potatoes and a bag of corn. Do not have it too hot, though. You do not want to burn your skin in the process.
5. You might have an allergic reaction to certain cosmetic products. Make sure that the make-up is not outdated nor contaminated. To speed up your healing process from getting an eye stye, take a time off from using make-up for a while. If your office requires you to wear make-up every day, then make sure that you keep it light.
6. Wash and clean your sunglasses after wearing them. Bacteria can stick on a dirty frame before it gets transferred on your eyelid. Wait until they dry before you put them back on. When you are not wearing your sunglasses, put them back in their cover. Leaving your sunglasses in a contaminated area is a big no-no.
7. This may sound easier said than done to you, but that does not mean this is impossible. Try to reduce stress to avoid getting an eye stye. Stress only weakens your immune system, which may also cause hormonal imbalance. Get regular sleep, eat healthily, and exercise daily. If stress worsens, try to take some time off from work.
8. Wearing contact lenses? Wash them clean regularly, especially after each time you put them on. Not only the risk of getting an eye stye, contaminated contact lenses breed amoeba, which gives your eyes more infections and diseases. Get the new pairs if the old ones are already badly contaminated.
9. There are two common temptations regarding dealing with your eye stye. Sometimes you feel like pinching or pressing the lump so it will break and dry quickly. Sometimes it is so itchy that you cannot help but rubbing at your eyes. Both attempts are not suggested, especially if your hands are not clean.
10. Reading more about eye stye, including how to prevent it also helps you.

Of course, if you have already got the eye stye, treat it well until it heals. If it worsens, then you should go to a dermatologist for further medical treatment. After that, how to prevent getting an eye stye again? Of course, keeping yourself clean is still the way to stay healthy and avoid that from happening again.