Treatment and therapy of a grain of barley
The disease with a barleycorn is usually harmless. The barleycorn breaks open after a few days so that the pus can drain off and the inflammation heals on its own. This process can be accelerated by dry heat like a red light lamp.
Antibiotic and antiseptic eye drops or ointments can be prescribed by a doctor. Due to the risk of spreading the pathogen, moist heat, such as that produced by envelopes containing chamomile broth, is not recommended. If the barleycorn is near the contact lens when worn, the contact lens should be avoided until the barleycorn has healed and glasses should be used as an alternative visual aid.
If the barleycorn does not burst open on its own and the pressure pain continues to increase, the ophthalmologist can surgically open the barleycorn through a puncture under local anesthesia. The use of contact lenses as a visual aid is considered to be the main risk factor for the transmission of bacteria besides make-up. It is therefore particularly important to always disinfect contact lenses professionally!
A so-called biofilm can form between the contact lens and the cornea, which as a thin layer of mucus can serve as a breeding ground for many microorganisms. These can multiply and attack the cornea if the contact lenses are not cleaned properly. Ideal, but also expensive, are daily disposable lenses (“disposable lenses”).
From a hygienic point of view, you are on the safe side, as they are disposed of after one day of wearing and a fresh pair is used the next day. But if you use carefully cleaned permanent lenses with clean fingers, there is no danger of infection for the eye. As cleaning agents, products with hydrogen peroxide are recommended, which are neutralized by a neutralizer (catalase) during the cleaning process and thus rendered harmless to the eyes. The products with hydrogen peroxide clean very reliably. It is also recommended to take a break between wearing contact lenses and to use glasses as a visual aid, because regular wearing of contact lenses can lead to permanent irritation of the eyes, which is an easier target for bacteria.
