ADDED TO CARTCan you wear contacts with a stye or chalazion?
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It’s been a stressful period and your body’s immune system is starting to feel the consequences. You feel run-down and can feel a stye coming on one of your eyes. Can you wear contacts with a stye or chalazion? What causes them and what’s the difference between the two?
Stye and chalazion difference
Styes: many of us will get them at some point in our lives. These uncomfortable and unsightly ailments manifest as a pimple-like formation on the eyelid, either on the outside or the inside. Styes occur most often as a result of a bacteria infection of the oil glands of the eyelid, usually due to an obstruction of the gland. They can be brought on by poor facial hygiene, sleep deprivation, or from rubbing your eyes. As the gland blocks, it causes the area around it to swell, causing pain and sensitivity in the area. The bacteria that cause the formation of the stye are prevalent in the nose and are easily spread to the eye by touching your nose then rubbing your eyes. They are also contagious, so make sure not to share towels, pillows or sheets with others when you have a stye.
Even though they resemble a pimple, it’s never a good idea to rupture a stye. It can spread the bacteria to other parts of the eye and make the situation worse. Styes will go away on their own as the infected glands reopen, so the best approach to getting rid of your stye is to apply a clean, warm compress to the affected area at regular intervals.
Similar to styes, a chalazion is a red bump that forms on your eyelid, which also forms when an oil gland gets blocked. As opposed to styes, chalazia (plural of chalazion) are usually not painful, and just cause discomfort in the afflicted eyelid. They form most commonly on the upper eyelids, though they may also manifest on the lower eyelid. Similarly to styes, the best way to treat a chalazion is with patience and a wet, warm compress, applied regularly to the area. The compress helps to soften the oils that have hardened and caused the blockage in the glands, allowing them to then flow out of the blocked duct.
Can you wear contacts with a stye?
Wearing contacts with a stye is generally not a good idea. You should never wear contact lenses when you have an infection in or around your eye. This is because the infection can spread and contaminate the lenses, potentially prolonging the infection. This is especially true if the stye were to burst, since the contact lenses material could absorb the infected fluid. Once the infection subsides, if you don’t use daily contact lenses, you should consider using a fresh pair of lenses as well as switching out your contact lens case.
You can order new contact lenses online through ContactsDirect and have them shipped directly to you stress free.
Can you wear contacts with a chalazion?
Can I wear contacts with a chalazion? According to Robert F Melendez, MD, MBA of the American Association of Ophthalmology, it’s OK to wear your contact with a chalazion, as long as you are certain that the chalazion is no longer infected. However, if the chalazion does not go away, and is so large that it obstructs the use of the contact lenses, you should consult your ophthalmologist for removal of the chalazion.
