Stye

A stye is a small painful lump on the edge of your eyelid. It usually happens when an oil gland in your eyelid becomes blocked and a bacterial infection develops.  The medical term for a stye is hordeolum. 

Styes are common and can clear up on their own in 1 to 2 weeks with good eyelid hygiene. They can look like an acne pimple and are usually tender to touch. You can have more than one stye at the same time.
 
A stye doesn’t usually affect your vision. 

A stye is caused when the small oil glands in your eyelids become blocked and a bacterial infection develops. This causes inflammation in your eyelid.  

You’re more likely to get a stye if: 

• you’ve had one before
• you have blepharitis, which is inflammation of your eyelids that can be caused by blocked eyelid glands
• you have a skin condition such as acne, rosacea or seborrhoeic dermatitis
• you have diabetes or other medical problems. 

The main symptom of a stye is a painful red bump along the edge of your eyelid near your eyelashes. It may look like a pimple with a small pus spot in the middle and it’s often tender to touch. 

Image credit: 123RF

You may also have:

• a red, sore, swollen eyelid
• a watery eye
• a feeling that there's something in your eye
• a scratchy feeling in your eye
• sensitivity to light.

A stye doesn’t usually affect your vision. 

If you have a red, swollen, watery eye or eyelid but there’s no bump, it’s more likely to be conjunctivitis or blepharitis. 

A stye may become a meibomian cyst (or chalazion), which is when an oil gland in your eyelid becomes fully blocked. Unlike a stye, a meibomian cyst isn’t usually painful and doesn’t usually make your whole eyelid swell. 

You don’t need to see your healthcare provider if you think you have a stye, but if it doesn’t get better with self-care or if it’s getting worse or your vision is affected, then you should make an appointment to get it checked. 

Your healthcare provider can usually diagnose a stye just by looking at it and examining your eye. Special tests aren’t usually needed. 

If you have a stye, do these things at home to help the healing process.  

Warm compresses

Place a hot flannel, a heated wheat bag or a heated eye mask (usually available at pharmacies) on your closed eyelids for 10 minutes. The temperature should be reasonably warm, about 42 degrees Celsius (42^o C). Do this 2 to 4 times a day.

Eyelid massage

After applying heat, gently massage your eyelids. Use the tip, or side, of your finger to massage the skin of your eyelids at the area close to your eyelashes. Make sure your fingers are clean before you do this. Don’t push so hard that it becomes painful. This will help unblock the oil glands and also helps with dry eye.  



Image credit: Kenny Wu (with permission)

Eyelid cleaning

Make up a solution of baby shampoo (1 part baby shampoo and 10 parts water). Dip a clean cotton bud in the solution and clean away any crustiness on your eyelashes and rub the cotton bud along your eyelids. Use a clean cotton bud for each eyelid. Repeat this twice a day. You can also use lid scrubs or lid wipes that are available from your optometrist or pharmacy.

Other self-care tips

• Avoid bursting the stye yourself at home as this could spread the infection.
• Avoid rubbing or touching your eyelids with your fingers, except when you’re massaging them (make sure you wash your hands well before and after doing this). 
• You can use lubricating eye drops from the pharmacy to provide comfort for your eyes.
• Avoid using eye make-up and other cosmetics around your eye while your eye is irritated and inflamed.
• Also avoid using contact lenses until your stye has healed.

Video: How to treate a stye at home and when to see a doctor

Styes usually get better on their own. It’s important to keep your eyelids clean and free of things that can irritate them and let the natural healing process clear the inflammation. See the self-care section above for things you can do at home if you have a stye, including applying warm compresses and doing gentle eyelid massage.  

Your healthcare or eyecare provider may:

• drain the stye using a small cut done under local anaesthesia – never try to squeeze or pop a stye by yourself as this may spread the infection
• remove the eyelash closest to the stye
• prescribe antibiotic medicine. 

You can help prevent a stye by keeping your eyes and eyelids clean (see self-care above), especially if you have blepharitis. 

You should also: 

• wash your hands well and often before touching your face and eyes, eg, when putting in contact lenses or taking them out
• keep your contact lenses clean
• wash you face and remove make-up before going to bed
• avoid sharing eye make-up with other people. 

With good eyelid hygiene, styes usually get better on their own.  

Sometimes the infection can spread to the rest of your eyelid and may need to be treated with oral antibiotics. This is called eyelid cellulitis.