Parents want to get knowledge of everything concerning matters of safety and health of their kids. When you suddenly see a red bump on your baby’s eyelid you may be taken by surprise. But, you should not worry as this may just be an irritation of minor type and can even be managed using certain home remedies. Learn to identify the causes, symptoms and how to manage baby stye eye.

What is an Eye Stye?

A stye, also referred to as hordeolum, is a type of infection of the eye, which occurs when the oil glands situated at the bottom of eyelashes get clogged with dead skin cells, oil and are infected by staphylococcus aureus bacteria. Generally, the stye appears as pus-filled, red lump present on either lower or upper eyelid. It may be present on the inside or the outside and in both the situations; it is always present on the edge of eyelid.

What are the symptoms of stye in baby?

The first symptom or sign of sty in your baby is the presence of a red lump or bump at the eyelid’s edge and it may look like a pimple. This bump gradually increases in size. A whitish or yellowish discharge may ooze from the bump and this makes the eyelid of your baby crusty.

The baby shows signs of irritation usually not due to presence of pain but she feels the presence of a hard mass on her eyelid or she may feel as if there is something lying beneath her eyelid.

What Causes Stye in Baby?

Baby stye eye is an infection. Staph bacteria are commonly present everywhere and they usually do not result in an infection. However, they may enter the eyes of a baby in the following ways:

• If your baby scratches and rubs her eyes using dirty hands.
• If your baby plays using dirty water which gets in her eyes.
• If you use dirty towels to clean your baby’s eyes.

Stye in eyes may occur at any age; however, they more commonly occur in children as they are more prone to rubbing and scratching their eyes in comparison to adults. Moreover, they may not wash and clean their hands before they touch their face or eyes. A stye may occur on one eye of the baby or it may spread to the other eye due to cross-contamination.

Treatment of Stye in Baby

Though the stye may get better on its own within one week or few days; still you may take certain treatment measures, which may help relieve the irritation due to stye and speed the process of healing.

• Put a warm compress on the stye: Take a clean washcloth and dampen it with lukewarm water. Squeeze to remove excess water and place it on the stye for around 10 minutes gently. Repeat the process at least 4-5 times in a day for a few days. If your kid does not let you to do it place it while she is asleep. Warm compress helps in liquefying the clogged oil present in the stye, eventually draining it off; thereby, curing it.
• Do not meddle with stye: Never pierce or squeeze the stye for releasing pus. It may cause severe pain and worsen the infection.
• Clean thoroughly the affected eyelid: Dilute some tearless baby shampoo in water and use it with some cotton wool (sterilized) or clean soft washcloth to clean the affected area thoroughly 3-4 times every day. You may also use scrub soap for eyes which are available in drugstores.

When should you visit a physician for your baby stye eye?

Though stye is a comparatively harmless infection, which may get better with home care, it may result in serious infection of the eyes if not cared properly. Therefore, you should take your kid to your physician if:

• Your kid is less than four months of age.
• The infection in the eyes spread on both lower and upper eyelids.
• The bump does not go away after applying warm compresses for one week.
• Greater than 1 stye appears at one time.
• A second stye appears immediately post the healing of first one.
• The entire eyelid of your child appears red and inflamed.
• The infection is spread to other eye of the child.
• Ointments: If infection spreads in both the eyelids, your baby’s doctor may recommend antibiotic ointments along with oral antibiotics for its treatment.
• Your kid has problems in seeing or pain in eyeball.
• Your baby has redness and swelling beyond eyelid (on other parts of face or in eye).

How Can You Prevent Baby Stye?

Following the below mentioned tips for personal hygiene may help in preventing baby stye eye:

• Wash the hands of your baby frequently.
• Wash your hands thoroughly before bathing, touching or feeding your baby.
• Never share the towel of your baby with any other person.
• Use a separate towel on face for your kid and never use this towel on her body.

If stye is present in one eye of baby, then take the below mentioned measures to prevent its spread to the second eye:

• Wash the hands of your baby more frequently.
• Don’t let her touch the eye that is infected with stye.
• Always clean your baby’s uninfected eye in a similar manner as you clean her infected eye. However, use a new clean washcloth and cleaning liquid.
• Wash your hands more often.
• Always utilize clean washcloth to put a warm compress on the stye. Afterwards wash the cloth in soapy and hot water and then dry it thoroughly in a dryer. Never wash both the eyes of your baby with same towel of washcloth.

In case your toddler is suffering from a stye, it does not imply that she is required to stay home and not go to daycare. You may ask staff at daycare to help her wash and clean her hands all through the day and also to avoid utilizing the same clothes and towels as used by other children.