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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    What is a stye?

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  • Andrew Koch

    Optometrist

    Andrew works in Tasmania at Total Eyecare, a group of independent practitioners that is Tasmanian owned.  He is part of a team that includes some of … View Profile

    A Stye (Hordeolum) is a sore, red lump inside your eyelid.  It is a blocked and inflamed meibomian gland, a gland in the eyelid that normally produces some parts of your tears. Tears are not just water, but a complex solution of mucin, oils, water, moisturisers, salts, immune cells and other components.

    If you have a large red lump (Stye) appearing in your eyelid, the best first treatment is to warm it up with a hot face-washer / flannel. Apply heat to the affected area as much as you can, and when the cloth cools down, heat it again with hot water and re-apply it. Heat is the best eay to open up a blocked gland and reduce the sweling. See your Optometrist of GP if the swelling does not reduce in a few days. 

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