Tend to Get a Stye After Sleeping in Eye Makeup?

Most of my patients get very confused by this. Is it the type of eye makeup? Or is it just sleeping in the eye makeup that causes a stye? Or maybe it is something else?

Actually, it's a little bit more complicated than that. Eye makeup and sleeping in it certainly doesn't help . . . but there's usually an underlying condition causing the problem.

When you go to your next eye exam, make sure to ask your optometrist these three very specific questions.

Number 1, "DO I HAVE MEIBOMIAN GLAND DYSFUNCTION?" That is a eye problem where the oil glands of the eyelids tend to get clogged.

The waxes and the oils inside eye makeup, especially if you sleep in it, can cause those eye glands to actually get more inflamed, hence causing the stye or chalazion response.

Number 2, this is especially important if you've had more than one stye. And when I say more than one stye . . . it's in your lifetime. The total number of styes you've had currently plus in your past. 

If you've had one stye in your lifetime - that's probably okay. Two styes is consider that suspicious. Three styes - I'm absolutely suspicious. So ask your optometrist! Number 2, "DO I HAVE DEMEDOX MITES BELPHARITIS?" Also ask your optometrist to specifically look at your eyelashes for collarettes to rule demodex in or out.

Number 3, okay. I kinda like to yell at my patients for sleeping in eye makeup, but that's not the point. Before they leave my office, I always wanna make sure they're on a very personalized eye care routine that's built for them. The eye care routine will ALWAYS include steps for eye makeup removal.

So make sure you ask your optometrist. Number 3, "CAN YOU GIVE ME A PERSONALIZED EYE CARE ROUTINE?"