how does a sty form?

Question

i have a sty right now. and i always get them for a while. then they go away and come back months later. whats the cause?? and how do i make them go away FOR GOOD?


also, my right eye tends to get red a lot. maybe i have an infection on that eye. im not exactly sure. but can it be from using my sister's mascara? but other than that, sometimes it can go red just randomly.

Answer 1

Sties are caused by bacteria infecting an eye lash follicle. Staphylococcus bacteria usually cause it, but it could be another kind of bacteria too. Rubbing your eyes with dirty hands is a likely source of the bacteria. Try washing your hands more often. Perhaps use a sanitizing soap and/or a gel alcohol after washing. Then don't rub your eyes. Focus on NOT RUBBING YOUR EYES over and over until you STOP the habit. Stop using your sister's mascara for a while to see if that helps.

Answer 2

A sty is a bacterial infection of the follicle of an eyelash. It is commonly caused by staph bacteria.

The reason that they come back over and over is possibly because you have an extra strong colony of staph living on your skin or in your nose. (Yup, they set up housekeeping in the nose and other places, and live happily ever after.)

Have you spoken to your primary health-care provider about the problem? It may need a longer-term treatment than you've gotten, since it keeps coming back. Perhaps you'll be prescribed a topical antibiotic for your eye, perhaps your nose, and maybe a course of oral antibiotics to wipe out the bug.

Or perhaps (and especially if you insist) they'll culture the sty and treat you with the antibiotic that that particular bacteria is susceptible to. Good luck! (For me, what started as sties became years of boils and cellulitis that wound up putting me in the hospital until an infectious disease doc finally treated me ALL over, and it stopped.)
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