Hordeolum Surgery: What Happens When You Have a Stye Removed

Hordeolum surgery to remove a stye on a person's eyelid is often used as a last resort when other simpler techniques have failed.

Styes usually disappear on their own within a couple of weeks and in the vast majority of cases, styes can be got rid of sooner using a warm compress, which is simply a moist warm hand towel that is held against the eyelid for 5 minutes, multiple times a day. Failing that, antibiotics can be prescribed to help fight the infection.

If the stye persists and has been present for over a month, your doctor may suggest surgery to get rid of the cyst. Stye surgery can be a daunting prospect and it is often the 'not-knowing' that causes the most fear. So, in this article, I'd like to give you an idea of what can be expected when you go for a stye-removal operation.

The procedure is usually performed whilst you are sitting down, with your head tilted back slightly, although it can also be performed lying down.

Firstly, a local anesthetic is injected into the eyelid to numb the flesh and remove any feeling from the nerve endings. This is the only part of the process that may cause any discomfort - thereafter, you won't feel a thing. The discomfort of the injection is comparable to the discomfort you may feel at the dentist when your gums are anaesthetized prior to receiving dental work.

For infants, a general anaesthetic may be used to put them to sleep to prevent any sudden movements during the operation.

Once you have no feeling in your eyelid, the surgeon will begin the surgery to remove the stye.

A clip will be attached to your eyelid to keep it in place whilst the doctor is at work. This prevents any involuntary movement such as blinking. Although you won't feel the clip on your eyelid, its handle may be rested across your face.

An incision is then made with a scalpel across the diameter of the stye. This will produce some blood and pus, which you may notice running over your eyeball but will be regularly cleaned up by the doctor or a nurse during the procedure.

The lump is then removed and the wound is stitched up.

A temporary dressing applied to soak up any remaining blood and bodily fluids that may flow out of the wound. This dressing should be left in place for a number of hours following the operation to protect the wound from infection. Because it covers the whole of the eye, your will have to rely on your other eye for vision during this period.

Many doctors will ask you to remain in their waiting room for a period of time (usually around 30 minutes) after the operation. This is a standard precautionary measure following any operation and ensures that there are no unexpected after-effects.

Then you can leave and continue with your day-to-day routine.

As the anaesthetic wears off, you will begin to feel sore around your eye - this is perfectly normal following this procedure. When you remove the dressing, you may notice that you have bruising around your eye - again this perfectly normal after any tissue damage and your eyelid will heal in a week or two, leaving little or no visible scarring.

Very often, your doctor will send the removed stye to the laboratory for a biopsy. This is standard practice and is just a precautionary check.

My name's Danny and I suffered with chronic styes for around eight years. Consequently, I've tried and tested just about every stye remedy available and I've shared everything I know on the subject on my blog: How To Get Rid of a Stye

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