It is somehow difficult to know the best stye eye drops, this is because some eye drop or ointment may end up giving you side effects which can be severe or add to the pain you already have. Some may have allergic reactions because of the ingredients used in producing them.
Eye drops are the best home remedy for treating stye as they do not only treat stye but also keep the eye lubricated and protect it as well. Having a stye on the eye may not be serious as some of them may go away on their own after few days whereas some may require medications. In this article, we are going to discuss the 9 best stye eye drops that can help you in the treatment of a stye eye. But first, let us look at the meaning of stye, how to diagnose it and the medications used in treating it.
WHAT IS A STYE
A stye is a swollen red bump that looks like a pimple, it is always found inside the eyelid or near the eyelash. It is also known as hordeolum and can affect anyone. It is very common but because many people who suffer from this condition do not report to hospitals, there is no exact number of prevalence.
A stye is caused by a bacteria, this bacterial infection blocks the glands on the eyelid. Both the outer and inner eyelids have glands. The inner eyelid has sebaceous glands, these glands are known as meibomian glands; they produce and discharge ointments that cover and lubricate the eye surface. The outer eyelid has oil and sweat glands around the eyelashes. If any of these glands are blocked, then stye occurs. Apart from blockage of any eyelid glands, staphylococcus aureus can cause stye.
Staphylococcus aureus is a bacteria that is found on the human skin and if not kept in check, it can cause infection of the skin glands. A stye is always painful and has pus in it. However, it can fade off in a few days with medications like eye drop. You should not confuse stye with chalazion, they both affect the eye and can cause cyst. The difference between these two conditions is that chalazion is more severe me chronic than a stye. The swelling can increase as the day goes by, it can also lead to blurry vision and pressure on the eye surface.
HOW IS A STYE DIAGNOSED
Stye can affect anyone, it is not limited to any age or gender. However, adults who are over the age of 30 can easily get stye because the oils in the glands becomes thicker as we get older. There are some factors that can increase the risk of having stye, these factors are:
- Diabetes
- Rosacea
- Scaling dermatitis (peeling of the outer skin)
- High levels of fat in the blood
- Blepharitis (inflammation of the eye especially on the oil glands).
People who feel they have stye usually visit a hospital or a health personnel for diagnosis and physical examination. Stye does not need any test to be conducted so as to detect the presence of the infection. Tests are only needed in cases of chronic infections. A magnifying glass will be used to examine the eyelid and stye but if it is an internal stye, the doctor will have to lift the eyelids to thoroughly check the stye.
Some symptoms of styes are:
- Redness of a small part of the eyes
- Swelling of small part of the eyes
- Tenderness of the bump
- Pain
If the condition is chronic and comes with other serious eye problems, the patient will have to see a ophthalmologist. But, if the stye is just mild, the doctor may give medications to make them disappear.
CAUSES OF STYE
There are some habits that can increase your chances of having stye on your eyelid. Some of the causes are:
- Using expired or old cosmetics on the eye
- Leaving makeup on the eye and face overnight
- Inserting contact lenses without washing or disinfecting them
- Touching the eyes with dirty and unwashed hands.
BEST STYE EYE DROPS: 9 DIFFERENT TYPES
There are many eye drops for stye in the market, knowing which brand that gives effective result is very important to avoid wasting money and also to help the symptoms go away as fast as possible. Some best eye drops for stye are:
1. Similasan Stye Eye Relief Sterile Eye Drops
This product is made with natural ingredients, the key ingredient is conium maculatum extract. Similasan is a leading brand that is made in Switzerland and has been in the market for 40 years. The product works by naturally stimulating to relieve the symptoms caused by stye.
It has no harsh chemicals and cannot narrow the blood vessels, it is very safe and can be used by anyone as it is diary and gluten free. Similasan eye drop is to be used 2 or 3 drops at least 3 or 4 times a day. One advantage Similasan has over other brands is that it can be used on contact, it will not damage the contact or loose its effectiveness.
2. Spectears Eye Drops
Spectears eye drops contains carboxymethylcellulose, a drug that can treat dry eyes and keep the eyes clean as well. It is made with safe ingredients and have the ability to relieve the symptoms of both stye and chalazion. Apart from treating stye, spectears eye drops can clean the eyes and improve vision as well.
3. Remoxy Ointment
Remoxy is the brand name for Moxifloxacin Eye Ointment, it is used to treat bacterial infection problems. The eye drop blocks how the bacteria work and drop them from growing and dividing thereby destroying them.
4. Flutob-SP Stye Eye Drops
Flutob-SP eye drops is formulated with two effective ingredients which are tobramycin and fluorometholone. Tobramycin is an antibiotic that prevents bacteria from forming and growing as it blocks the essential proteins that are needed by bacteria to function in the eye. Fluorometholone prevents some chemical signals that cause itching, swelling and redness of the eye. This product treats stye and chalazion and also relieve the symptoms associated with each eye infection.
5. Specmox-PD Suspension
This product is made with moxifloxacin and prednisolone ophthalmic suspension. Moxifloxacin is the antibiotic that stops bacteria from from growing and repairing, it kills the infection and treat the infection already caused by the bacteria. Prednisolone stop the chemical signals that causes symptoms like swelling, inflammation and itching. Prednisolone also helps the eye drop to enter deeper into the layers of the cornea, this makes the eye drop to treat the eye problem.
6. Stye Sterile Lubricant Stye Eye Drops
Stye Sterile eye drop is made with ingredients like mineral oil, white petrolatum, white germ oil, stearic acid and microcrystalline wax. This product is clinically formulated to treat stye and dry eyes, it relieves the symptoms of stye like itching, swelling and pain. Stye sterile can also prevent irritation of the eye by lubricating them.
7. Golden Stye Eye Drops
This product prevents the growth of bacteria and control the already existing bacteria that causes the eye infection. It can also treat the symptoms and bring relief. According to the instructions on the product website (Golden eye care), you are wear contact lenses when using the eye drop.
8. The Relief Products Stye Relief Eye Ointment
The relief eye ointment for stye is made with active ingredients which are carboneum sulphuratum HPUS for treating inflammation, staphysagria HPUS helps for prevent burning, pulsatilla HPUS helps to relieve swelling, apis HPUS for relieving pain, silica HPUS helps to reduce itching. There are other inactive ingredients that helps the product to heal stye and its symptoms. You only need to apply the eye drop 3 or 4 times daily to get maximum results.
9. Brolene Eye Drop
Brolene eye drop is an antibacterial eye drop that is used to treat eye infections like stye, conjunctivitis and blepharitis. It is formulated with an active ingredient known as propamidine isetionate 0.1% (The Independent Pharmacy, 2022). The ingredient stops the growth of bacteria and cleans out the eye. It can also help relieve the symptoms of the infection. It is not advised to use Brolene Eye Drop when you are wearing contact lenses as the drop may become discolored.
COMMON SIDE EFFECTS OF STYE EYE DROPS
Some eye drops may cause some allergic reactions like:
- Eye irritation
- Redness of the eye
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Burning and itching
One common feature of stye is that the symptoms and bumps can disappear on its own if you use warm compress or wash the eyelids. But if the symptoms continue after using eye drop, you should see an ophthalmologist.
CONCLUSION
There are so many eye drops that can treat stye and relieve the symptoms too. Remember that stye is caused by bacteria and eye drops with antibacterial properties can be used to make the infection go away. Getting eye drop is not difficult but buying one that can give you the desired result is best. You can choose from the options above, all these stye eye drops can be gotten in pharmacies and online stores.