Inside my left lower eyelid I have what look like two white heads. Many, but certainly not all, mornings my eye will be red with lots of gooey, not crusty, matter. It doesn't itch or hurt, but in the evening it gets very dry. It hasn't seemed worth taking a day off work to go see my doctor. What should I do about it?
What you're describing is probably a stye: a tiny infection of the oil-secreting glands of the eyelid. The organism involved is almost always Staphylococcus aureus, a skin bacterium.
But just because it's bacterial doesn't mean it requires antibiotics. Most styes will self-resolve. You can help speed that process along by doing four warm compresses a day (just hold a moist warm tea towel over the eye) for 10 minutes at a time. The warmth increases blood flow bringing more infection-fighting white blood cells to the area, creating more pus (dead white blood cells and other debris), which builds up under pressure, thinning the overlying skin, and bringing the stye to a "head". This is usually located on the inside of the lid and looks like a white or yellow pimple. The warm compresses will also soften the waxy material in the glands, allowing the pus and fatty debris to spontaneously drain, like a volcano erupting.
As tempting as it may seem to pop what looks like a zit on your eyelid, never try to squeeze a stye as it can spread the infection deeply. If the lid is getting worse, see your doctor or go to the emergency department, because eyelid infections - marked by pain, redness, increasing swelling, or fever - can become serious quickly.
Other common eye problems include a chalazion, which is a chronic painless bump in the lid (caused by chronic inflammation rather than acute infection), and conjunctivitis, an infection or irritation that results in gritty or gooey discharge and an irritated, red eye. Treatments range from eye washes and compresses to antibiotics, depending on the cause.
