A swollen eyelid in winters is common yet shouldn't be dismissed, regardless of the pain. Identifying the root cause is crucial for proper treatment. Ignoring it risks severe consequences, potentially leading to vision impairment. Seeking timely treatment is vital to prevent potential vision loss.
Some mild swollen eyelids can be cured by some easy and quick home remedies. Lubricating eye drops, chilled black tea bags, or cold compresses can ease discomfort. However, persistent swelling beyond a day or two may signal an underlying issue like infection, allergy, or injury. Seeking prompt medical attention from an eye specialist becomes essential for proper diagnosis and treatment.
Read on to know the causes and how to get the right swollen eyelid treatment.
Causes of Swollen Eyelid
Listed below are some of the possible swollen eyelid causes with their best home as well as medical treatment:
Pink Eye (Conjunctivitis)
Most parts of the country recently experienced a sudden surge of conjunctivitis, commonly known as pink eye. This condition stems from viral, bacterial, or allergic infections in the eye, often spreading from one eye to the other. Patients typically observe inflammation and a sticky discharge on the eyelash corners, indicating the presence of this eye infection.
How to Treat a Swollen Eye due to Conjunctivitis?
Very often, there’s nothing really that you can do if you have conjunctivitis. Usually, this problem ends within a few days with some precautions. You can, however, follow the tips given below to manage conjunctivitis at home:
- Avoid touching your eyes
- Don’t do eye makeup until your eyes become normal
- Apply cold compresses to your eyelid
- Clean sticky coating or pus with warm water and cotton
- Keep your pillows neat and clean.
Note: Don’t ignore the problem if the symptoms get worse. You should immediately visit a good eye specialist if it lasts more than one week.
Chalazion
Chalazion is often developed in the form of a lump or swelling in the upper or lower eyelid. It is mostly painless and can disappear without any treatment. But if the lump size is large, it can be serious because it may block or blur your vision.
How to Treat Chalazion?
Follow these tips to treat the chalazion of your eyes at home:
- Never try to squeeze the lump
- Apply a warm compress to your eyelid at least four times a day for about 10 minutes
- Avoid touching the eyes
- Avoid using contact lenses
- Avoid eye makeup.
In case the size of the cataract is blocking your vision and doesn’t go away with the home treatment, your eye doctor may recommend small surgery to remove the lump permanently. Alternatively, the doctor may recommend a corticosteroid injection to cure your eyes.
Stye (Hordeolum)
Just like chalazion, a stye is also a lump on the eyelid. It can be inside or outside on your lower eyelid. If a stye is external, you may experience the following symptoms:
- Lump with pus at the centre of the eyelid
- Swollen lower eyelid
- Painful
- Light sensitivity (photophobia)
- In contrast to this, you will experience the following symptoms if the Stye is internal:
- Swollen eyelid
- Painful lump in the inner edge of the eyelid
- Feeling scratchiness in the eye
- Light sensitivity (photophobia).
How to Treat Stye?
You can treat stye at home within a few days. Follow the following tips to cure your eyes:
- Apply a warm compress to your eyelid four times a day for about 15 minutes
- Massage the eye and eyelid with clean hands.
If you don’t see any improvement in your swollen eyelid and its pain, you should go to the doctor. Doctors may operate on stye to remove it permanently from the eyelids. Otherwise, they may recommend:
- Oral antibiotics
- Erythromycin ophthalmic ointment
Blepharitis
If you have oily skin or any other chronic skin-related problem, it is most likely that your painful, swollen eyelids are due to Blepharitis. Don’t worry! It is not contagious and can not become the cause of blindness. This problem starts when the oily glands of the skin are clogged, or any infection has developed in the skin.
This skin problem reaches the eyes and develops the symptoms of Blepharitis there. You may see the following signs and symptoms if the cause of your swollen eyelids is Blepharitis:
- Scaly eye (dry eye)
- Red and irritated eyelids
- Sticky eyelids
- Flakes of skin around the eyes
- Painful swollen eyelids
- Light sensitivity
- Loss of eyelashes
How to Treat Blepharitis?
The good thing is that you can treat this disease at home. Check out the following pointers to know how you can treat it at home:
- Apply a warm compress to your eyelids
- Add Omega-3-rich food like flax seeds to your diet
- Avoid touching your eyes
- Avoid the use of contact lenses
- Avoid doing the eye makeup until the inflammation doesn’t go away.
If the inflammation in your eyelid lingers even after applying the following tips, you should visit an eye specialist. The eye specialist will treat your skin disorder along with Blepharitis so that the problem will not recur.
You may get the following treatments:
- Skin cream
- Oral antibiotics
- Steroid eye drops
- Eye therapies like intense pulsed light therapy if Blepharitis is chronic.
Cellulitis
Cellulitis is a serious skin disease. This infectious skin disease makes the skin around your eyes swollen and red. You may feel pain when touching the affected area. You should consult your doctor right away if you are experiencing the following symptoms of cellulitis:
- Red and irritated skin
- Swelling
- Nausea
- Fever
- Double vision
- Blurred vision
- Dizziness.
How is Cellulitis Treated?
Typically, home remedies are not recommended for effective treatment of cellulitis. You have to consult your doctor if you have a skin infection caused by any surgical wound or skin injury.
The doctor may prescribe some oral medications. But if the problem persists, the next option to treat the disease is surgery to remove the skin infection from its root cause.
Wrapping it Up
This eye care article outlines the causes and treatments for swollen eyelids. Neglecting treatment can lead to serious eye issues. Seeking prompt and appropriate treatment is crucial if you're experiencing a swollen eyelid to avoid potential complications.
Not to forget, eye-related infections can lead to other heath emergencies that may require immediate medical attention or even hospitalisation in worst case. Considering the ever-rising treatment expenses, even a simple procedure can be daunting to your pocket. Here comes a health insurance plan into the picture that covers treatment expenses and offers a solid backup in the times of need. You can consider.
>> Also Read: 10 Effective Tips On How To Take Care Of Your Eyes
Disclaimer: The above information is for reference purposes only. Kindly consult your general physician for verified medical advice. The health insurance benefits are subject to policy terms and conditions. Refer to your policy documents for more information.
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