Do old wives tales, like rubbing a gold ring or putting a cooled used teabag on your eyelid, cure styes?
Some people find that old wives tales are very effective in treating styes. But such treatments are often not based on science and have not been medically proven. It’s suggested that rubbing a gold ring on a stye will cure it. However, doing this could actually cause the infection to spread. The ring will probably not be sterile so rubbing it over your eyelid could encourage the infection to spread. A used cooled teabag placed on your eyelid may have the same effect as using a hot compress. When the cooled teabag is put on your eyelid it will draw the trapped fluids and infections from your stye. However, using a clean facecloth or towel is best. Old wives tales are just that – tales. They are not scientifically proven. Medically based treatments for styes have been proven to be effective, and so are preferable.
