Kids
Stye Go Bye-Bye: How to Treat Your Kid’s Stye
There are various reasons why kids get styes and if they do, here’s how we can treat them.
Eyes have oil glands over their own and when our eyes get tired, we get styes or kuliti in Tagalog. These red bumps can grow on our eyelids or under our eyes—usually warning us by making it painful to blink. However, kids are more prone to styes because they touch their eyes with dirty hands. Other things like overusing gadgets and lack of sleep can make it harder for kids to treat their stye, should they get it.
So if the kids have styes, here are ways we can treat it.
1. Apply hot compress on the eye.
A kind of stye known as a chalazion usually forms because of oil build-up. This can be easily drained out by taking a hot shower or placing a hot compress. The heat will cause the skin pores to open, letting the oil slowly leak out, along with the dirt.
After placing a hot compress, make sure the kids wash their face to remove any residue that may block their other pores and create another stye.
2. Leave it alone.
It’ll be hard but making sure the kids leave their stye alone will make it heal faster. If the kids have been playing with all sorts of things, dirt surely would have accumulated under their fingernails and these can block pores in their eyes. If they have a stye, keep their fingernails short and hands clean so if they do touch it—it won’t get infected.
3. Reduce screen time.
Because of the flashing lights and amazing things happening, tablets, smartphones, and gadgets can make our kids forget to blink. When kids forget to blink, they forget to moisturize their eyes which makes them more prone to eye infections. The moisture in their eyes shields the eyes from dirt, getting rid of the germs via tears or crying.
The solution? Reduce screen time. Let their eyes rest and give your kids something else to keep them entertained.
4. Use mild soap.
Some soaps may be too “strong” for the face, leaving our kids’ skin more prone to infections because they’re too dry. Mild antibacterial facial soaps can help treat our kid’s styes, especially since these are caused by bacterial infections.
While some doctors recommend diluted baby shampoo, it also depends on the sensitivity of your skin. Some antibacterial soaps may be too weak if their skin is naturally oily.
5. LAST RESORT: Pluck out the eyelash near or at the stye.
Known as Stye Epilation, this process is when we pluck the eyelash near or on the stye to make a hole and drain it. However, this is usually when the stye swells up and doesn’t drain on its own. Some ophthalmologists recommend this especially if the stye’s showing no signs of draining and risks turning into an eyelid abscess—something that can require surgical intervention.
However, this method needs very steady hands and is seen as a last resort.
6. Request for antibacterial cream from an ophthalmologist.
Styes, because they are caused by bacterial infection, usually are treated after massaging antibacterial cream into it for the next whole week. This usually requires a prescription from the doctor, however. Avoid using just any antibacterial cream because sometimes, it can make the stye even bigger and worse!
7. Keep eyewear like sunglasses and eyeglasses clean.
Eyeglasses can also be a culprit since they trap oil and dirt behind the lenses. Even more so if our kids are the type to sweat a lot and have acidic sweat! The frames—whether made from plastic or metal—are usually covered with dirt. To clean, use either rubbing alcohol diluted in water or lens cleaner (which we can buy from eyeglass stores) and a non-fibrous cloth.
Warm soapy water works just as well.
Styes are usually not life-threatening but they can be a pain to deal with!
A stye can stress out our kids and make them feel “ugly,” given its strange appearance. Some kids, because they hate seeing imperfections, have a bad habit of touching it, pressing it, or even squeezing it to drain it right away. But like some diseases, styes are the kind that our kids need to let “run its course” to treat it. Lest they risk it becoming a worse infection.
In situations like it’s it’s best to reassure your kids that these styes don’t make them less of a person and that it too will go away. Remind them to constantly keep their hands clean before touching their face and eyes—even more so when they are dealing with a stye.
More about kids when they get sick?
Tummy Ouchies: What Parents Can Do When Kids Have A Stomachache
What Parents Can Do When Kids Have Sore Eyes
Understanding Whooping Cough: What Parents Can Do When Their Kids Get It
