Organisms Causing Styes

Skowrat Kunavisarut*MD
Kanjana PromjunyakuI** MSc (Epidemiology)
*Department of Ophthalmology,
**lnfectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Mcdicine, Ramathibodi Hospital Mahidol University, Bangkok


Excerpt from the article

INTRODUCTION

Styes are common disease in ophthalmic practice. Though they do not cause loss of vision but they may blurr the vision due to astigmatism if the mass is large enough.   They usually cause discomfort, pain, foreign body sensation and may spread to surrounding tissues and cause serious problem sometimes. The etiologic agents are said to be those which are the flora in the lids, eye lashes and faces. The most common normal flora of the eye lids in Thai patients is Staphylococcus epidermidis.   It should be the important agent causing styes. Besides Staphylococcus epidermidis, Singa lavanija et al stressed the anaerobic bacteria as the causative agent of styes in Thai patients. Knowing the etiologic organisms causing styes will be the guide for the physicians to select the proper antibiotics. Especially for the early treatment with appropriate antibiotics either systemic or topical will make the incision and curettage unnecessary.

Thai J Ophthalmol 1998; 2(1): 18