Some patients just get one stye and never get them again. Unfortunately, some patients are prone to getting recurrent styes. Here are some tips to hopefully decrease the likelihood of getting one.

• Most important: Keep your eyelids warm. Use a warm compress on a consistent basis. The idea being to liquefy any oily secretions within the glands. Either in the shower by placing your warm hands over your eyelids or with a warm compress.
• Eyelid Hygiene: If you have blepharitis (red, crusty eyelids) then try using Gentle Lid Scrubs.
• Flaxseed Oil: Flaxseed Oil is not only good for your skin, but also helps lessen the chance you will get as many styes in the future. Styes come from glands that make oil. When you take Flaxseed Oil on a consistent basis, the glands make less viscous oil. You can take either the pill form or the powder form.
• Manage Rosacea: Rosacea is a skin disease that causes redness of the eyelids, cheeks, nose, forehead and chin. If you have Rosacea – a dermatologist is best at helping to manage that. In turn, keeping the Rosacea under control will help prevent styes from forming.
• Make sure to clean off your eye makeup every night. Don’t share makeup with friends and throw out any old eye makeup.

There are a lot of wacky websites out there that give recommendations that have no scientific backing. The recommendations that Dr. Landmann is suggesting are generally agreed upon by ophthalmologists. That being said, if you want to practice good eye-Karma, consider donating to Dr. Landmann’s cataract surgery mission!