Swollen Eyelid Treatment

Eye as well as its surrounding areas are extremely delicate. A slightest discomfort in that area can be very bothersome. Swollen eyelid is one such condition. Usually, both the eyelids are swollen but sometimes only one eyelid can swell too. It not only affects the vision of the person but also makes washing of the face troublesome. Swollen eyelid is often accompanied by redness of eyes, discharge of liquid from the corner of the eye, itching sensation, formation of scales on the eyelids etc. Swollen eyelid treatment should not only help in reducing the inflammation but also should help in getting rid of the symptoms. To know more read on swollen eyelid.

What does a Swollen Eyelid Mean?

Swollen eyelid is a puffiness in the upper and lower eyelids. Swollen eyelids have two forms. It can be either painful or non-painful. The most common swollen eyelid cause is some kind of infection. When the swollen eyelid does not have any pain, then it can be due to some allergic reactions which has caused blockage of glands present in the eyelid. Children often get swollen eyelid as they tend to touch or rub their eyes with unclean hands. When the swollen eyelid is accompanied by pain then it means there is some eye problem like conjunctivitis or pink eye, blepharitis, stye, orbital cellulitis, and chalazion. For more information refer to allergies of the eyes.

How to Reduce Swelling on Eyelids?

Here we have discussed swollen eyelid cures according to the underlying conditions that give rise to eye problems:

Blepharitis: This occurs due to a common bacterial infection of the oil glands present near the eyelashes. It is often accompanied by other symptoms like irritation of the skin and formation of scales on the eyelids. Another cause of blepharitis is allergic reaction towards cosmetics. This happens either because your skin is allergic towards certain ingredients of the eye make up or you have slept overnight without removing the makeup. Though it does not cause any harm to the eyes but it lasts for weeks or even months and the infection tends to recur again and again. Usually, it does not require any treatment. In this case, the best swollen eyelid home treatment is compression with a warm, damp cloth, two times every day. This will keep the eyelids clean. If the swelling condition worsens, you should consult a doctor who may then prescribe an antibiotic ointment.

Stye: This occurs because of some infection at the base of the eyelash. It is like a pimple and the particular eyelid gets swollen as a result. Stye is not a very serious problem. Here too, warm compression with a clean damp cloth dipped in warm water serves as an excellent swollen eyelid remedy. The stye gets broken because of the heat and the pus stored within gets drained out. After that, the swelling disappears. In case, you can identify the eyelash where the stye has formed, simply the removal of that eyelash with a pair of tweezers will discharge the pus and the stye will be cured soon. However, make sure you do not put any pressure on the stye to squeeze it out. To know more read on eye stye causes and eye stye home remedies.

Conjunctivitis or Pink Eye: Swollen eyelid along with twitching is a common symptom of conjunctivitis. Here the swollen eyelid is the result of some infection either by virus or bacteria. For the swollen eyelid treatment caused due to conjunctivitis, a doctor should be consulted. They will first identify the bacteria and then will start the swollen eyelid treatment. To provide a soothing effect to the eyes they often administer artificial tears. They also advise cold compression at home. If a viral conjunctivitis turns severe, steroid drops may be required to bring down the inflammation. To know more read on pink eye.

Lice: Presence of lice at the root of the eyelash can cause swollen upper eyelid. This problem is common in small children. If you observe minutely, you can see the movements of louse near the base of the eyelash of your child. For swollen upper eyelid treatment caused by lice, you should not use any anti-lice product as they can be harmful for the eyes. Rather, apply some petroleum jelly or any non-medicated ointment so that the lice eggs get suffocated and thus new lice cannot form.

Sunburn: When you go out in the sun, you should apply some sunscreen on your eyelids too. If you fail to do so, you may get swollen eyelid from sunburn. Cold compression works best in reducing the swelling caused by sunburn. You can do this by keeping cotton pads soaked in ice cold water on the eyes, for around 10 minutes. Another eyelid swelling treatment is chilled cucumber. Take two slices of cucumber and put them on the closed eyes for ten minutes. The ingredients of cucumber will bring down the swelling. Even after cold treatment, if you do not find any improvement, then take the advise of your doctor. Use sunglasses, to avoid further infection.

Other Causes: Swollen eyelid after cataract surgery can happen due to some post surgery complications and you should consult your doctor immediately. If you are wearing contact lenses which are not clean, then swelling of eyelids may happen. Therefore, you should always keep the contacts clean. Other minor causes are swollen eyelid after crying, swollen eyelid after swimming, swollen eyelid due to bug bite, swollen eyelid due to sinusitis or swollen eyelid due to insect bite. In all these cases, the common treatment for swollen eyelids is either warm or cold compress.

Now you know what to do when you have swollen eyelid. As you can see, most of the underlying causes of swollen eye are not very serious ones and swollen eyelid treatments can be mostly found at home only. If you are prone to get swollen eyelids then proper eye care is a must and you should also take some precautionary measures regarding your make up. Like, do not touch eyes with dirty hands, apply makeup only at the outer edge of the eyelid, do not share your cosmetics with others and most importantly remove makeup before you are retiring for the day.