Eyelid issue

klmno

Active Member
The past couple of days have been really nice for me- except for one thing. My eyelid seemed to be itching a lot and this evening it has been swolen. There is no "gunk" or actual eye irritation like I had when I caught pink eye once so I don't think that's what it is. It doesn't feel like there is an eyelash or anything stuck underneath and I don't see a bump like a bug bite. Any ideas? It's itching a whole lot right above the eyelashes. Would a warm washcloth help?
 

klmno

Active Member
Ok- I've never had a sty before- I thought they looked like a bump. Will it go away on it's own after a couple of days?
 

everywoman

Well-Known Member
It takes a while for the bump to develop. PCson used to have them quite often. It would start with an itch, then swelling, then bump----then it would go away.
 

Jena

New Member
that's so weird i had the same thing a few mos ago and i thought ok what the heck is this also.

i used cream on it, like cortizone cream just a little bit than it went away as weirdly as it appeared.
 

susiestar

Roll With It
It actually sounds like blepharitis. At least that is what my eye doctor calls it. My doctor refers to it as dandruff in the eyelashes.

It happens when skin cells do not come off the way they normally would. The cells get in and irritate the pores in the skin of your eyelashes.

You can get special eye scrubs in the eyedrop area of the drug store/walmart. You can get packets with a special tissue soaked in a solution that you scrub the area that is irritated. Or a pump bottle you put some of the cleanser on a tissue or fingers to rub the eyelash area with.

Or you can get some baby shampoo (the no more tears name brand is the worst - really burns. The walmart lavendar baby wash is much more gentle, in my opinion.) and work a tiny bit into the eyelash area and then rinse off.

Warm wet washcloths on the area every 3-4 hours or so will also give a lot of relief.
 

klmno

Active Member
i just got up. I put a warm., wet washcloth on it for a while before going to bed last night and it did feel much better. This morning it is pretty swollen. I just hope it doesn't get so bad that it effects my eyesight. I don't have anyone around me that I know well enough to ask to drive me somehwere.
 

Marguerite

Active Member
A few other possibilities not yet suggested.

A stye, by the way - it's generally an infection, usually of an eyelash follicle. A bacterial infection, usually staph.

This doesn't sound like a stye, because styes are usually hot, inflamed and sore.

No, this sounds like allergy is a distinct possibility. It could be allergy to a new eye make-up (especially any eyeliner or mascara you might have tried). Or if you ahven't used anything new, it could be that either you've suddenly developed a sensitivity to your old eye make-up, or you have got the container contaminated (easy to do - we put our fingers in it, after all).

But it does sound like allergy, or sensitivty. I have to be very careful about whaty I put near my eyes. Even the hypoallergenic cosmetics/creams are now a problem, because where they used to be preservative-free, now the regulations in just about all countries mean that the formulations have changed (and they didn't tell us). mother in law & sis-in-law have both suddenly developed problems with their well-known and previously problem-free favoroute brand of hypo-allergenic cosmetics.

I have had sensitivity problems for years, but unlike other family members I flatly refuse to spend large amounts of money on expensive name brands. Instead, I make my own cleaners & moisturisers. I use free samples on parts of my skin that don't react, but I have problems with just about anything near my eyes. It's the preservatives, so for my eyes I have hunted around (using free samples to test) and found ONE brand of eye cream I can use (it has natural preservatives in it only, the smallest amount legally possible). It's not expensive, either. But I can't let it get into my eyes. So if my eyes have reacted, I use cooking oil. It works as a cleaner, as a moisturiser too. For colour (as in eyeshadow) you can get mineral make-up without preservatives. Avoid the sparkly stuff, it often has fish scales or mica in it and the flakes can cause irritation if tey get into your eyes.

If your eyes are currently reacting to something, you risk getting a 'sympathetic' reaction to whatever else you put on your eyes (in the form of expensive creams, etc). But you're not likely to react to cooking oil.

If you want to be fussy and use something special on your eyes - try almond oil, or apricot kernel oil. You need very little and it should soothe the inflammation.

But the biggest word of caution here - get yourself checked out by an optometrist, in case the problem is something serious. Even eyestrain can cause symptoms such as you describe. Your eyes are important to you, you want to make sure there is nothing wrong. Have a look at your conjunctiva (the mucosa inside your eyelids) and it if is also inflamed then it's another reason to get your eyes checked out.

But in the meantime - cooking oil, and avoid all other cosmetics.

Marg
 

KTMom91

Well-Known Member
I remember getting a sty when I was little, and my mom took a gold ring, rubbed it on a wool blanket, then touched the ring to the sty. She did it several times, and it went away. Another one of those old wives' remedies that have no explanation.
 

Marg's Man

Member
My mum also used the gold ring, in my case directly applied to the stye, to cure them.

I'm a scientist - it makes no scientific sense but it works and I dunno why.

Marg's Man
 

klmno

Active Member
Thanks all for the suggestions! It isn't as sore now and has a small hard bump in the middle of the swollen area. I guess that means it's a sty- although after reading Marg's thread, I remembered putting makeup on very quickly the evening before and it irritating my eye a little- I guess I got some foundation around my eyelashes. I wish I had a gold ring! I had a few inexpensive ones (not real gold) but I have a feeling that they ended up on the hands of girls in middle school.
 
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