Recurrent styes

[Leilagirl]

I have had 3 styes in 5 months. Painful.. unsightly... They take forever to go away. My question is Is there any data to support if it’s from meds prednisone, plaquenil, or PMR ?

Thank you all!

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Do you have any signs of blepharitis? A lot of people with PMR seem to have problems with it. And if unmanaged it can develop to styes. There can be bacteria around, they cause a stye and the pred may suppress your immune response so they take longer to heal. It is disputed whether plaquenil is an immunosuppressant but it does mess about with the immune system.

[Leilagirl in reply to PMRpro]

No inflammation on the lids that I or MDs have mentioned. Every am and pm I gently cleanse with baby shampoo. That is why I am wondering if it’s my immune system or meds but I will see M.D. on Tuesday regarding this current one number 3....thank you so much!

[SheffieldJane]

My optometrist does an eye cleaning procedure with a small brush that removes any blockage in the tear ducts. It is specifically for blepharitis. Something similar may help, between bouts.

[Leilagirl in reply to SheffieldJane]

Great thank you

[Hindags]

I had a series of styes for the first 6 months or so I had PMR. I also have a 40 year history of blepharitis. Don’t know what caused the styes at that time, but fortunately they have gone away.

I’ve also been more diligent about washing my eyelids.

[Leilagirl in reply to Hindags]

Thank you

[Sandy1947]

I just had 2 styes in the past month. My Dr. have me 2 rounds of antibiotics...the last was 2 weeks. He also told me to do eye scrubs with a solution I got online.

I had bletharitis a long time ago. Did nightly scrubs since then with Johnson’s baby shampoo. I replaced all my make up which the Dr. said was unnecessary.

It is interesting to learn I’m not alone with this additional malady.

[Leilagirl in reply to Sandy1947]

Yes I figured as much there were others out there that Have had the same situation but I wanted to ask thank you!

[Koalajane]

I also had styles about 9 months after diagnosis. They went fairly quickly but I now have dry eyes. I see an ophthalmologist regularly as I have retinopathy.

[Janstr]

I've has 2 styes in the last 8 weeks that I assumed were occurring because of my compromised immune system. A chemist ( I think you call them pharmacists in the UK) suggested soaking a clean cloth in salted warm water & holding it in the stye for 10 mins. This caused the stye to burst. I was worried as it was the side I had GCA ON & ended up going to my GP who approved of the chemist's advice & also gave me some antibiotic eye ointment. When the 2nd stye started I started the warm salt & water treatment immediately, & it disappeared in about 4-5 days.

[Leilagirl in reply to Janstr]

Ok thank you good to know!

[Janstr in reply to Leilagirl]

After my last reply I got another eyelid infection & was using the warm salted water compresses on it. I went to see mY GP today about a persistent headache worst behind the eye with the infected lid, & she drained the stye ( or cyst; she used both terms). She said that teabags are also good to use instead of the salted water.

[Leilagirl in reply to Janstr]

Thank you

[karools16]

I stopped using mascara, after the second stye, and haven't had a stye since.

[Leilagirl in reply to karools16]

Thank you .. I will not use it going forward. This stye was 16 days before draining.. Now I’ll be another two weeks healing I am guessing.. what a pain.. in the eye that is!