How to treat swelling in the eyelid?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 34-year-old female who has been experiencing swelling on the right eyelid, leading to the partial closure of the eye for the past two days. I have been applying Tobradex, an antibacterial eye drop, and have found some relief since yesterday. This condition occurs occasionally, particularly after long drives and due to lack of sleep, since I have been actively taking care of my three-and-a-half-year-old toddler. Please help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I read your query and understand your concern.

I understand that you are experiencing swelling of the upper eyelid for the past two days. Based on the photo you sent, it appears to be a hordeolum, which is essentially an infection of the glands located in the eyelid, commonly known as a stye. If the swelling is very painful, it might be an infection of the meibomian gland, while if it is not very painful, it is likely an infection of the eyelash follicle. In either case, the treatment remains the same.

I would suggest you the following.

Antibacterial eye drops and ointment.
Hot fomentation: Dip a cotton ball or paper towel in moderately warm water and place it over the affected area. Repeat this for five to ten minutes, two to three times a day.
If the eye is extremely painful, you can try a cold compress until the swelling subsides to half its size, and then switch back to hot fomentation.

Hot fomentation helps to release the pus from the area. If you see pus pointing, it indicates that it is on the road to recovery. Do not be alarmed if you see blood and pus oozing the next morning. I understand that you are using Tobramycin antibiotics. Ideally, I would suggest Moxifloxacin in both drop and ointment forms for at least five to seven days in such situations. Consult your doctor, talk to them, and then take the medications as per their advice.

If the pain and inflammation do not subside within a week to 10 days, you may need to have it drained or be put on oral antibiotics.

If you are experiencing recurrent eyelid swellings like this, I would suggest you consider the following possibilities:

Check if you have an uncorrected refractive error.
Check for diabetes.
Assess for untreated meibomitis (inflammation of the meibomian glands).
Evaluate the use of old contaminated eye cosmetics.
Examine for chronic sinusitis.
Address any possible stress factors.

I hope I have addressed your concerns. Please feel free to ask more questions if needed.

Thank you.

Answer 2

Hi,

Welcome back to iclinq.com.

You are welcome. I hope it gets resolved soon. I suggest you get Moxifloxacin eye drops and use them every 3 hours, along with the ointment at night. If Moxifloxacin is unavailable, you can consider using Azithromycin, as both are effective in this situation.

Kind regards.