Stye in eye and contacts (infect, insurance, eyes, stomach)
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Styes are a bacterial infection. Any doctor worth their salt will prescribe an anti-bacterial ointment made specifically for bacterial infections of the eye. So if your doctor told you there was nothing he could do for styes then it's time for you to go find a new doctor who is up-to-date and knows what he's talking about. Anti-bacterial prescription ointments for the eyes and and under the eye-lids have been available for years. Go ask your pharmacist what type he recommends.
More to the point, if you're getting bacterial infections causing styes then you need to assess what it is that you're doing that is introducing bacteria into your eyes. My guess is that it's your contacts and the way you're handling them and you likely need new contacts. Your contacts are probably also exacerbating your dry eye disorder. The Systane is a non-prescription product that you can pick off the shelf and it can become contaminated easily plus it has ingredients in it that can damage the eyes. You would be better off getting proper prescription eye drops from your opthalmologist. It may be a bit more expensive than the off-the-shelf Systane but your eyes and your life-long vision are worth the additional expense of keeping them healthy.
Everybody who wears contacts should also have a pair of spare eye glasses for emergencies or just for giving their eyes a break from wearing a foreign object on the eyes every day. Having styes is a serious medical problem and when styes are being properly medically treated you must forego wearing contacts for the 10 days that you're putting the medicated ointment into your eyes. Then you have to rely on your glasses for the duration of the medical treatment. Keep your eyeglass lenses prescription up-dated at least every two years.
Not being able to see peripherally so well when you are temporarily wearing glasses is better than not ever again being able to see anything at all with or without contacts or glasses because of unintentionally blinding yourself.
Scrubbing the eyelashes every day is an irritant to the corneas and to the undersides of the eyelids and may also contribute to introducing bacteria and the bodies and feces of the eyelash mites on your lashes directly into the eyes. Everybody has mites on their eyelids and lashes. If you have to clean your eyelashes every day it might be time for you to consider getting a new cleanser for the lashes that is gentler and more suitable for sensitive eyes so you can just wipe the lashes and don't have to scrub them.
I have worn contacts nearly all of my adult life and I'm extremely nearsighted, so they have been a blessing. I now wear bifocal contacts WITH readers for very small print. I completely understand your issue with glasses and lack of peripheral vision...it makes me very uneasy.
However, I have had a couple of instances where I had a stye and even a chelazion. It was very painful & caused by infection. For the sake of your eye health, you really need to stop wearing your contacts for now, and once you're healed, do not use the same contacts, and replace your contact lense container, as you will re-infect your eye. I don't know if you are female, but you also need to replace your eye makeup.
Are you seeing a opthalmologist? I did, and was put on antibiotics drops & steroid drops. The MD also recommended a OTC product for cleaning the eyelids that she said was a better choice than baby shampoo. I buy it at the local pharmacy.
I know you don't want to hear it, but you really need glasses as a backup. They aren't that expensive depending on where you buy them.
Seriously, you don't want to endanger your vision. You can wear your contacts again, but take the proper steps to get your eyes healthy again before you do.
To the last two posters: I wear daily contacts, I haven't worn long term contacts since I was wearing the multifocal ones over 10 years ago.
If for some odd reason I wear them more than one day (like when my order is delayed), I use the Alcon Clear Care cleaner. I used to use that years ago but switched to an ultrasonic system about 15 years ago. That was discontinued in 2021 and is when I went back to the Alcon. But again I usually just replace them daily.
That leaves my saline solution. I like to get Bausch & Lomb but CVS appears to be pushing major brands out in favor of their own label which I don't like as much, but I end up with because it's all that's in stock.
I've had external styes a handful of times over the years but this is only the second time I've gotten one inside my eyelid. I was sick 2 months ago but I don't think I was sick last year when this happened.
I don't wear makeup and all my shampoo, soap and lotions are as natural as possible, some are even single ingredient.
So the only thing that's changed in the past 2 years is the saline and occasional cleaner. Contact brand is the same.
I have worn contacts nearly all of my adult life and I'm extremely nearsighted, so they have been a blessing. I now wear bifocal contacts WITH readers for very small print. I completely understand your issue with glasses and lack of peripheral vision...it makes me very uneasy.
However, I have had a couple of instances where I had a stye and even a chelazion. It was very painful & caused by infection. For the sake of your eye health, you really need to stop wearing your contacts for now, and once you're healed, do not use the same contacts, and replace your contact lense container, as you will re-infect your eye. I don't know if you are female, but you also need to replace your eye makeup.
Are you seeing a opthalmologist? I did, and was put on antibiotics drops & steroid drops. The MD also recommended a OTC product for cleaning the eyelids that she said was a better choice than baby shampoo. I buy it at the local pharmacy.
I know you don't want to hear it, but you really need glasses as a backup. They aren't that expensive depending on where you buy them.
Seriously, you don't want to endanger your vision. You can wear your contacts again, but take the proper steps to get your eyes healthy again before you do.
I did not do well with the multifocal contacts. I think if I had a job where I just sat at a computer all day it would have been ok. For a few years I did a single focus contact in my dominant eye, and a multifocal in the other but finally gave up and just got readers.
I have not worn a contact in that eye since I found the stye. It's not painful so I'm not 100% sure when it started. Hopefully I caught it quick.
I do see an ophthalmologist yearly and a retina specialist (who I just saw the end of March). I've been thinking about this over the weekend, and last year when I called the doctor I was told a few times by the front desk to just do hot compresses and call back in a week. I think it was the second week I got annoyed and insisted on an appointment. At that point it was pretty much gone and maybe that's why he didn't give me anything. Thanks for telling me you were put on drops because now I'll call tomorrow and ask more firmly.
Since you are also very nearsighted (I'm so sorry about that!) can you define "not that expensive"? To me that's about $50 Hard to justify hundreds every couple of years for something that will not be used much - or at all.
Most of the world treats styes and pretty much any type of eye infection by washing the eyes with baby shampoo.
I had an eye doctor that told me that if I washed my eyes (lids closed) with it every day, I would never get an eye infection. I did that for awhile but it caused dryness in the lids so I quit. But if I feel a stye coming on I start washing them with baby shampoo and they are gone within a day or two.
When I wore contacts I also had an aversion to wearing glasses. My vision was nowhere near as good with glasses and I could never find glasses that didn't irritate my ears and face. But sometimes I needed them. There are places online like Zenni optical, payne, and 39dollar Glasses where you can get frames and lenses for cheap, sometimes under ten dollars. And I'm not just talking about reading glasses, they sell all types.
Most of the world treats styes and pretty much any type of eye infection by washing the eyes with baby shampoo.
I had an eye doctor that told me that if I washed my eyes (lids closed) with it every day, I would never get an eye infection. I did that for awhile but it caused dryness in the lids so I quit. But if I feel a stye coming on I start washing them with baby shampoo and they are gone within a day or two.
When I wore contacts I also had an aversion to wearing glasses. My vision was nowhere near as good with glasses and I could never find glasses that didn't irritate my ears and face. But sometimes I needed them. There are places online like Zenni optical, payne, and 39dollar Glasses where you can get frames and lenses for cheap, sometimes under ten dollars. And I'm not just talking about reading glasses, they sell all types.
That is so good to know. Odd that I've had two drs tell me just to wash with a washcloth. They are both old school so maybe that's why. And thanks for the online names!
The whole glasses issue - it was like my whole world changed when I got contacts for all the reasons you mentioned (nevermind actual torment from schoolmates. still surprised me that kids wear glasses for fashion these days). My last pair were more comfortable but once my reading vision changed, I'd often push them up on my head and every.single.time they get caught in my hair. So no more nosepieces I guess.
I'm going to attach my script - maybe someone can tell me if the readers are built into it. No sense in getting glasses if I still can't work on my screen.
Also how does one order just computer glasses? So I can just see from my chair to the monitor but with the computer stuff like blue light blocking.
The place I've used for glasses/contacts merged with another really really expensive place last year which makes me want to move to online. My eye dr also merged with a corporate practice which has made it more difficult to get in touch with him one to one.
<update> I called two places I've dealt with over the years and got the same reply: hot compresses till it's gone. One said if it's not gone by NEXT Friday call for an appointment. That's what I had done last year and it took an extra week to get the appointment.
<update 2> Nope they refuse to see me until two weeks have passed. Said to increase compresses, said the stye has to come to a head with the heat, said there are no drops.
So I'd be interested in learning about computer glasses so I can see better to work. Not distance not bifocal just something to see my monitor with
Last edited by WouldLoveTo; 04-24-2023 at 07:08 AM..
You mentioned computer. When I had glasses I was happiest with progressive lenses.
I am very prone to motion sickness. Every friend who's gotten progressives has been nauseous and quite a few gave up on them. I have an appt with my optician to talk about computer glasses - just to see the computer, not progressives.
I used to get styes in my eye in high school. Back then, I did things like share makeup. Was told to quit doing that. You probably need to see another eye doctor to get antibiotic ointment. I'm assuming you are female. Throw away your old makeup... mascara, eye shadow, eye liner... and replace it. Wait until your infection has gone away before you use the new stuff.
I am very prone to motion sickness. Every friend who's gotten progressives has been nauseous and quite a few gave up on them. I have an appt with my optician to talk about computer glasses - just to see the computer, not progressives.
It sounds like you are older. Progressives have changed A LOT lately and they are much easier to get used to. Early progressives had a tiny viewing zone, while now they have a bigger viewing zone. That sounds like a problem you have with glasses generally, but the glasses of 10-20 years ago are not the glasses of today. I have never gotten motion sick with progressives and have been wearing them now for about 20 years.
You can get a computer/reading only type from Zenni that is called middle distance progressive. It is really only computer up top and reading in the bottom. I got a pair and had absolutely no problems adjusting to them and they were about $115 for the blue light blocking type when they had one of their blue light blocking sales. We have a similar prescription. If you want something to use with contacts, just get a reader. You are at +2.50, which is for reading, so you would need to get something less strong for a computer. What will work will probably depend on your computer’s setting, but you can get cheap readers at the drugstore and give that a whirl. Zenni is just able to figure out what works.
Also going to go with the guess that the problem is probably bad eye makeup. If you keep getting styes, they are most certainly contaminated unless you are swapping them out each time you get an infection.
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I think if I had a job where I just sat at a computer all day it would have been ok. For a few years I did a single focus contact in my dominant eye, and a multifocal in the other but finally gave up and just got readers.
Hard to justify hundreds every couple of years for something that will not be used much - or at all.
