What is the Old Wives Tale to Get Rid of a Stye?

 

I've seen a lot of patient and heard a lot of stories in my 20+ years of practicing optometry. I often hear about various home remedies and old wives tales related to styes. Much love and respect to these ancient remedies! Let's chat about some of the more common ones for getting rid of a stye. 

 

 

 

Some Good Old Wives Stye Tales

• Using Raw Onion: Some of my patients claim that rubbing a raw onion on the eyelid will draw out the infection. 
• Directly Applying Tea Bags: This is a popular one. From black to to chamomile . . . a tea bag on the stye to zap it instantly.
• The Gold Ring: This is my Chinese mom's go to home remedy. The gold to draw out the infection and the rolling effect of the gold ring as a warm compress to drain the stye. 
• Rice in a Sock: Many times patients do this quickie home remedy until they can get their appointment to see me. Heated in a microwave to start the process of draining stye debris.
• The Spoon: Cold to reduce the initial inflammation. Hot/warm to help the debris drain. 
• Apple Cider Vinegar: Placing a very acidic solution to kill bacteria.

Why These Myths Can Be Problematic

While the idea of using natural remedies is appealing, these methods can lead to more harm than good:

• Risk of Irritation: Unsterilized plant matter like raw onion or tea leaves can introduce bacteria / fungus to the eye. When this happens, I'm dealing with the stye, the infection and all the time it takes to heal both. 
• Delayed Professional Treatment: Time is everything. I've had patients try every home remedy possible while allowing their stye to turn into a vision threatening preceptal cellulitis. 
• Ineffective Healing: Not all home remedies have scientific backing, and some may even delay the healing process. If they actually worked consistently, I'd probably add it the We Love Eyes collection of cleansers!

Effective Stye Care and Prevention

Instead of relying on old wives tales, consider these evidence-based tips for managing a stye:

• Use Compresses: Cold helps reduce initial swelling. Hot/warm helps to drain the debris.
• Maintain Eyelid Hygiene: Clean your eyelids daily using a proper eyelid cleanser to prevent cross contamination in the case of an infected stye and to also prevent future flare ups.
• Avoid Touching Your Eyes: This is the easiest way to get and also cross contaminate your own eyes with more styes. My patients are usually unaware that they are constantly touching their eyes too.
• Consult an Eye Care Professional: If the stye persists, worsens, or causes discomfort - seek advice from an optometrist. Pain and/or redness is not good. Why wait?