Barley On The Eye - How To Quickly Cure? Causes And Symptoms

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49

Barley in the eye: causes, symptoms and treatment

Barley on the eye is an inflammation in the hair follicle of the eyelash or Zeiss sebaceous gland (external barley), characterized by suppuration. If it is located in a lobule of the meibomian gland, then this barley is internal. Having consulted a doctor about barley, you can see the entry "gordolum" on the card. This is the scientific name for this pathology.

Barley on the eye can appear unexpectedly for a person. This problem is familiar to almost everyone, since it is widespread. Pathology develops quickly, its symptoms are simply impossible not to notice.

Often people consider the appearance of barley on the eyelid a problem not too serious. In fact, barley indicates that the immune system has failed. Therefore, the disease should not be ignored.

It is unacceptable to self-medicate, you cannot follow the advice of "healers", because barley affects the organs of vision. They, in turn, are located in close proximity to the brain, so experiments can end quite badly.

Barley rarely occurs in pairs and in both eyes. Most often, inflammation is concentrated in one eye, and the barley itself is single.

An external abscess looks like an abscess in appearance, which is located on the edge of the eyelid outside the eye. Internal barley is an abscess on the inner eyelid, on the side that contacts the eyeball. This disease can have a complicated course.

Content:

• Barley symptoms
• Stages of barley
• Barley reasons
• Barley in a child
• First aid rules
• Barley treatment
• What can not be done with barley?
• Why is barley dangerous?
• Barley prevention

Barley symptoms

Symptoms that accompany the appearance of barley on the eye:

• The eyelid in the area of inflammation begins to itch.
• Pain occurs when blinking or trying to touch the eye.
• The eyelid is swollen.
• Lachrymation increases.
• It seems to a person that something foreign has got into his eye.
• A yellow blister appears on the eyelid. It becomes noticeable 3 days after the first signs of barley appear.
• After 4-5 days, the barley is opened, pus comes out of it.

If a person's immunity is depleted, then the body temperature may rise. Sometimes there are general symptoms of body intoxication. The patient begins to have a headache, the lymph nodes increase in size. A similar clinical picture develops in children and in people with often recurrent barley.

Stages of barley

Barley goes through the following stages of development:

1. Infiltrative stage. At this time, a person experiences itching and burning in the eyelid area, it becomes edematous. This stage lasts no more than 3 days.
2. Suppuration stage. If barley is not allowed, then an abscess forms on the eyelid. It is round, transparent, filled with whitish content.
3. Breakthrough stage. A capsule with pus either breaks through on its own, or the doctor opens it. Pus comes out, it may ooze for a few more days.
4. Healing stage. A crust forms over the barley, under which the skin regenerates.

Barley reasons

Barley appears on the eye due to the fault of Staphylococcus aureus. This microbe always lives on the skin and hair of a person, as it belongs to the conditionally pathogenic flora. Streptococci rarely provoke the appearance of barley. These microorganisms begin to multiply actively when a person's immunity decreases.

Therefore, the reasons for barley can be as follows:

• Long-term effect on the body of cold.
• Stress, illness, overwork, excessive physical activity, poor-quality food, adherence to strict diets. All these factors negatively affect the state of the immune system.
• Deficiency of vitamins in the body.
• Diabetes mellitus, in which the blood supply to the organs of vision is impaired.
• Diseases of the digestive system. At the same time, the body does not fully assimilate nutrients.
• The presence in the body of species of Staphylococcus aureus resistant to antibacterial drugs.
• The presence of a chronic inflammatory process in the body, for example, caries, adenoids, tonsillitis.
• Hereditary predisposition.
• Infection of the body with helminths.
• Hygiene errors. The infection can be carried into the eyelid with dirty hands.
• Using contact lenses. By themselves, they cannot cause the formation of barley, but in combination with other risk factors, they can lead to inflammation.

Barley in a child

The causes of barley in children are similar to those that cause inflammation in adults. Moreover, the pathology itself is more severe in small patients. This is due to an imperfect immune system. In addition, barley gives the child anxiety, he rubs his eyes with his hands. This negatively affects the course of the disease. Therefore, barley in childhood is often complicated by an abscess, phlegmon, blepharitis or chalazion.

The fiber that covers the eyelid from the inside in children is loose, so the inflammation quickly spreads to the surrounding tissues. The severe course of pathology can cause meningitis. Therefore, the appearance of barley in a child requires an appointment with a doctor. If the disease is complicated by other pathological processes, hospitalization is necessary.

First aid rules

If you take action right after the appearance of the barley, you can quickly deal with the inflammation. Therefore, treatment should be started when itching and pain occurs in the eyelid area.

• The use of antiseptics. In vodka or alcohol, you need to moisten a piece of cotton wool. Alcohol is preliminarily diluted with water in equal proportions. Then the cotton wool is squeezed out well and applied to the area of redness, to the base of eyelash growth. It is important to ensure that the alcohol composition does not get on the mucous membranes of the eye. This treatment allows you to get rid of barley in 1 day. The alcohol can be substituted for iodine or brilliant green.
• Dry heat overlay. For this purpose, an egg is boiled, which is wrapped in a cloth and applied to the sore eye. The egg is left until it cools. The egg can be replaced with salt or flaxseed. They must be preheated in a pan.

Dry heat can only be applied if the barley has not yet festered. After the appearance of pus, this method of treatment is not practiced.

Barley treatment

To cope with the disease, you need to apply drops and antibiotic ointments. If the disease has a severe course, then systemic administration of drugs is required. Provided that the barley is not opened on its own, it is sanitized in the hospital.

Application of drops. Drops help stop the spread of inflammation throughout the eyelid.

For this purpose, tools such as:

• Sodium sulfacyl.
• Sofradex.
• Penicillin 1%.
• Gentamicin.
• Erythromycin.
• Levomycetin.
• Tsiprolet.
• Chloramphenicol.
• Futsitalmik.
• Tobramycin.
• Vigamox.

Eye drops are applied 3-6 times a day.

Eye ointments. Ointments are placed in the eye at night, since during the day they negatively affect the state of vision. For barley, ointments are prescribed such as: Erythromycin, Tetracycline, Colbiocin, Tobrex, Ofloxacin, Eubetal.

Before you start applying the ointment, you need to wash your hands well. The product is applied to the finger. The eyelid is pulled back and the drug is placed in it. If a person is receiving treatment at home, then ointments can also be used during the day.

When buying a medicine, you need to clarify that an eye medicine is required. The fact is that leather treatment products are produced under similar names. However, there are more active substances in them. Such products will harm your eyes.

Ointments with corticosteroids in the composition for the treatment of barley are not used. With purulent inflammation, they are contraindicated.

Oral antibiotics. If the disease is severe, your doctor may prescribe oral antibiotics. Such therapy is most often required by patients with reduced immunity, as well as children.

More often than others, they are prescribed:

• Doxycycline.
• Ampicillin, or Amoxiclav, Augmentin.
• Azithromycin, Sumamed, Hemomycin.
• Cephalosporins are rarely prescribed when other drugs are ineffective.

Treatment should last at least 5 days.

Antiseptic treatment. After the abscess opens, the patient's eyes are washed with antiseptic agents. It can be a solution of Furacilin, or a solution of Sulfacil-sodium with a concentration of 30%.

The drug is instilled into the eye, and the excess is removed with a sterile bandage.

Adjunctive therapy. If a person's body temperature rises, then he is prescribed drugs from the NSAID group, for example, Paracetamol or Ibuprofen.

The patient should eat well, additional intake of vitamins and minerals, brewer's yeast is possible.

Physiotherapy. The patient may be prescribed such physiotherapeutic measures as: UHF, or microwave therapy. The course is 4-6 days.

What to do if the barley is not opened?

If the barley does not open on its own, then you need to see a doctor. On the 6-7th day from the onset of the disease, the doctor will carefully open and sanitize the purulent focus. After such manipulations, scar tissue does not form.

What can not be done with barley?

With barley, the following actions are prohibited:

• It is forbidden to crush barley, try to release pus from it.
• During treatment, do not use eye cosmetics.
• Do not apply wet eye lotions.
• It is forbidden to heat purulent barley.
• You cannot go to the sauna and bathhouse.
• Do not rub the sore eyelid with your hands.
• You should not go outside during the cold season. If this is not possible, then the eye is covered with a dry, clean bandage.

Why is barley dangerous?

The main danger is that you might get the wrong diagnosis. So, if you can start treating barley incorrectly, then it simply will not go away for a long time, and besides that, you can exhaust your body. If you start squeezing out pus, it may turn out that it will spread throughout the body, and you will get blood poisoning or brain damage.

And here in any case you have to go to the hospital for treatment. With this in mind, you should be very careful when rinsing the eye with tea, in no case do not press during this action. It is even more careful to approach the diagnosis, in no case do not confuse barley with any other disease.

Possible complications:

• Relapses of pathology. If the immune system is weakened, and the inflammation has not been completely stopped, then barley will reappear on the eye.
• Purulent conjunctivitis. It develops due to the spread of infection to the conjunctiva.
• Chaliazion. In this case, a cyst forms on the eyelid in the area of the sebaceous glands. It will be filled with liquid.
• Orbital cellulitis. It is formed due to the fusion of several abscesses. A person's eye pains intensify, the eyelid swells, pus begins to separate from the eyes, the body temperature rises, and vision deteriorates. The eyeball protrudes, its mobility will be difficult.
• Cavernous vascular plexus thrombosis. This complication does not develop often. The patient develops exophthalmos, the eyelids swell and turn blue. The eye hurts a lot, the protein is filled with blood, vision deteriorates, and can double.
• Thrombophlebitis of the vessels of the eye. This pathology develops due to the defeat of the veins by bacteria. The eyeball and eyelids are filled with blood, the person experiences severe headaches. Eyes get tired quickly.
• Meningitis. If bacteria spread to the brain, inflammation occurs. This leads to an increase in body temperature, vomiting, and intense headaches. A person can fall into a coma and die.
• Sepsis. Blood poisoning is associated with a high probability of death. The body temperature rises to high levels, a rash appears all over the body, the pressure drops. The patient is unconscious. The work of all internal organs and systems is disrupted.

Barley prevention

To prevent the formation of barley, the following recommendations must be followed:

• Do not rub your eyes with dirty hands.
• In the morning and in the evening you need to wash. Dirt from the eyes is removed with a sterile bandage in the direction from the outer corner of the eye to the inner one. Natural tear drops can be used to cleanse the eyes throughout the day.
• You can use only personal cosmetics, it is forbidden to wipe yourself with someone else's towels.
• If barley appears on the eye often, then you need to see a doctor. Correction of immunity, treatment in sanatoriums, etc. is required.
• It is important to lead a healthy lifestyle.
• All foci of chronic infections must be sanitized.

Article author: Mochalov Pavel Alexandrovich | d. m. n. therapist

Education: Moscow Medical Institute. IM Sechenov, specialty - "General Medicine" in 1991, in 1993 "Occupational Diseases", in 1996 "Therapy".