What is barley? Prevention and treatment

What is barley? It is a small red painful lump at the edge of the eyelid, which may outwardly resemble a blister or pimple. Usually barley is filled with pus. The cone can form on both the outer and inner sides of the eyelid.

In most cases, the ailment passes by itself in a couple of days. During this time, it is possible to alleviate pain and general discomfort by applying a warm damp cloth to the affected eyelid.

Symptoms

Barley on the eye is quickly diagnosed on the following grounds:

• Presence on a century of a red cone, outwardly reminiscent of a blister or pimple;
• pain syndrome;
• Swelling of the eyelid;
• Lacrimation.

Inflammation of the eyelids can also lead to a condition such as haljazion ("hailstones"). Halyazion is a seal that forms when one of the sebaceous glands is clogged on the edge of the eyelid, just behind the eyelashes. In contrast to barley, such a densification usually does not bring painful sensations and acts more strongly from the inside of the affected century. Barley and haljazion are treated with similar methods.

When to see a doctor

In most cases red painful cones, despite the caused discomfort, do not harm the eye in any way and do not affect the clarity of vision. Before contacting the clinic, you can try to get rid of the misfortune at home. Apply a cloth moistened in warm water to the closed eyelid for 5-10 minutes several times a day and gently massage the eyelid. Contact a specialist if:

• Barley in the eye did not begin to dissolve within two days;
• Redness and swelling spread beyond the borders of the century and covered the cheek or other parts of the face;
• Home methods of treatment led to the opposite effect and only increased the pain or directly the barley itself;
• The course of the disease is complicated by an increase in body temperature, chills or fever;
• There were problems with vision;
• The infection too often recurs;
• The pathology of the immune system is diagnosed (for example, with diabetes or HIV, as well as during the treatment of cancer or recovery from an organ transplant surgery).

Causes

While most diseases occur for a variety of reasons (and even specialists in many cases are not in a position to say exactly what was the prerequisite for the development of the disease), barley always develops for one reason only - due to infection of the sebaceous glands in the century. Staphylococcal bacteria are the most common pathogens of a form of inflammation, like barley.

Risk factors

You are at risk if you:

• Touch your eyes with unwashed hands;
• Establish contact lenses, without thoroughly disinfecting them or washing their hands;
• Go to bed without taking off your make-up from the eyes;
• Use old or expired cosmetics;
• Suffer from blepharitis - a chronic inflammatory process along the edge of the century;
• Suffer from kuperoza - a pathological condition of the skin, which is characterized by a red complexion.

Before a visit to a doctor

If barley causes severe pain or does not go away after two days after the appearance, consult a district therapist. If there is such a need, the therapist will redirect you to a doctor specializing in the treatment of eye diseases, an ophthalmologist.

Since medical advice is usually very limited in duration, it is better to prepare for a meeting with a specialist in advance. For this:

• Make a list of symptoms seen in yourself, including those that you do not think are related to eyelid inflammation;
• Record in the form of a concise list of key personal information potentially of interest to the doctor;
• Write down all the medicines, vitamins, minerals and other biologically active nutritional supplements you are currently using;
• Make a list of questions that you plan to ask the doctor.

What should I ask the therapist or ophthalmologist?

If you want to know where the barley has come from and how to treat it, take the following list of questions for the specialist:

• Why did I have barley on my eyelid?
• When will the pain and inflammation go away?
• Is this disease contagious?
• What diagnostic tests should I take?
• What are the treatment methods and how do they suit me?
• What are the advantages and risks of the therapy methods listed by you?
• What preventive measures should be taken to avoid the occurrence of barley in the future?
• Can I continue to wear contact lenses?
• Is there an alternative to your prescribed medication?
• What printed materials or websites do you recommend for review?
• Do I need to come to the reception after the end of therapy?

Diagnostics

Considering that barley is a purulent inflammation with quite noticeable manifestations, the doctor will be able to diagnose it even with a simple examination of the patient's eyelid. For a more thorough check of the diagnosis, the specialist will most likely use a special light and a magnifying device.

Treatment

In most cases, the inflammatory process on the eyelid does not require specific treatment. Barley usually passes by itself. It is often recorded cases of recurrence.

If the red cone does not decrease in size, and the pain sensation does not come to naught, the doctor can recommend the following treatment methods:

• Antibiotics . The doctor will write eye drops with antibiotics or a special cream to apply to the skin of the eyelid. If these measures do not help, or if the infection spreads beyond the primary focus, the specialist will recommend taking antibiotics in the form of tablets.
• Surgical intervention to relieve pressure. If the barley does not pass by itself, the doctor will make a small incision in it to remove accumulated pus. Such a surgical intervention will accelerate the healing process and soothe pain and swelling.

Halyazion

In case the ophthalmologist diagnoses not barley (photo is in the article), but haljazion, for treatment, a similar method of warm compressions is first applied. Some patients receive a direct injection of an anti-inflammatory drug into the compaction area. In addition, haljazion can be removed with a simple surgical procedure under local anesthesia. After such an operation, you may need to wear a bandage on the eye for two days.

Home Treatment

What is barley? First of all, it is one of those infections with which the body is able to cope on its own. If two days after the appearance of the seal on the eyelid have not passed, and you do not plan to go to the polyclinic, you can try to speed up the disappearance of barley on its own. For this:

• Leave the barley alone. Do not try to open it yourself or squeeze pus that accumulates in the compaction. Such actions can lead to the spread of infection.
• Carefully observe the hygiene of the century. Gently wash the affected eyelid with water and mild soap.
• Apply a cloth soaked in warm water to the closed eye. To relieve pain, wet a clean cloth or tissue in warm water. Squeeze it and put it on your closed eye. As soon as the material becomes cool, re-wet the napkin. Hold a warm compress for 5-10 minutes, then gently massage the eyelid. Repeating this procedure two to three times a day will help barley to dissolve on its own.
• As an alternative method, instead of a warm cloth or napkin, compresses from warm tea bags are used. It is better to choose green tea, because the substances contained in it have antibacterial properties and will partially help to remove the inflammation and pain characteristic of such an infectious disease as barley. How to treat it with tea? The method is as simple as the previous one. Boil the water and put the tea bag in the cup. Brew the tea and let it brew for one minute. Then take out the sachet and wait until it cools enough to be put on the eye. Keep the compress on the affected eyelid for about 5-10 minutes. Use individual sachets for each eyelid.
• Keep your eyes clean. Do not apply cosmetic agents on the eye until the inflammation is completely gone.
• Avoid using contact lenses. On contact lenses are often found microorganisms that can lead to infection of the century. Try not to wear the lenses until the barley is completely healed.
• If the painfulness of the reddened condensation is of considerable concern, you can take any painkiller medication that is sold in a pharmacy without a doctor's prescription. Safe medicines include, for example, ibuprofen and acetaminophen. To reduce the appearance of unpleasant symptoms, follow the instructions for use and carefully check the correct dosage.

Prevention

To prevent eye infections:

• Wash your hands. Regularly (several times a day) wash your hands with warm water and soap or use a special alcohol based disinfectant. Try not to touch your eyes.
• Take care when using cosmetics. You can reduce the risk of contracting infectious diseases of the eyes and prevent a relapse if you throw away old cosmetics in time. Do not share mascara, shadows, eyeliner and other means with other people. Doctors also do not recommend leaving make-up for the night - take it every night with cotton pads and specially designed fluids or lotions.
• Apply warm compresses. If you already have an eyelid, and you know well what barley is, from time to time put warm compresses on your eyes - this will help to avoid a new infection.
• Treat blepharitis. If you are diagnosed with blepharitis, follow the doctor's instructions and be sure to treat the disease.

Hygiene of the eyelids

If the infectious disease recurs regularly, you may need to take enhanced measures for eyelid hygiene. Barley, the prevention of which is always much easier to treat, develops as a result of infection by harmful microorganisms. This means that to prevent frequent relapses, you need to regularly exfoliate the surface of the eyelids bacteria and dead skin cells, which feed the pathogens of infection. Add a few drops of soft baby shampoo into a glass of warm water and stir. Using a cotton pad or a clean cloth from the fabric, carefully apply the soap solution obtained with the base of the eyelashes of each eye, while keeping the eyelids closed. If you do not have time to make a solution, you can take and undiluted baby shampoo and wipe the napkin with a wet napkin right while taking a morning or evening shower. This procedure takes only a minute, but you will soon be able to forget what barley is.

The development of hypersensitivity in a particular area of the eyelid, covering several eyelashes, may indicate an early infection. As soon as you notice such a sign of barley, start applying warm compresses to the eyelid - they will help prevent further spread of the disease and clogging of the sebaceous glands. If the barley in your case is associated with couperose, consult for additional advice to the dermatologist.