Outside of vision issues, styes are one of the more common eye conditions that bring people into the office. They can be unsightly, painful, and just annoying! In this post, we will learn all about what a stye is, how to get rid of a stye, and how to prevent styes from recurring.
What is a stye?
A stye, or hordeolum, is an infection of one of the glands of the eyelid. It can be categorized as either external or internal:
- external hordeolum: an infection of the lash follicle/gland of Zeis along the lid margin
- internal hordeolum: an infection of a meibomian gland within the eyelid
Styes are commonly caused by Staphylococcus, a group of gram positive bacteria.
What are the symptoms of a stye?
A stye generally presents as a red, swollen, often painful bump on the eyelid. There may also be crustiness along the lash line. External hordeolum are more superficial and often look like pimples, whereas internal hordeolum are more within the eyelid.
How do I get rid of a stye?
Styes may drain and heal without any intervention at all. If you have a stye, the best place to start is warm compresses. You can use a commercially-available warm compress like a Bruder mask or a Tranquileyes mask, or you can make your own using a boiled egg or warmed dry rice wrapped in a clean cloth; you just need something that stays warms for a few minutes. Take the warm compress, rest it over the stye with your eyes closed, and gently massage your eyelid. I recommend doing this for 10-20 minutes at least twice a day. This helps accelerate the drainage of the stye.
Sometimes (moreso with internal than external hordeola), medical treatment is needed. A course of oral antibiotics may be prescribed by your eye doctor in those cases. Topical (ointment or drop) antibiotics may be used if the stye is actively draining, but there is debate on how effective these topical medications are at treating the actual infection. I rarely use topical medications on styes, because it is difficult for topical treatment to reach the infected gland in most cases.
If the redness and swelling are getting worse, or if the stye doesn’t appear to be improving, be sure to see your optometrist! The infection that originally started in the eyelid gland can spread to the surrounding soft tissue and cause a more serious condition.
There is a related but distinct condition called a chalazion- this is an inflamed oil gland. It can follow a stye. A chalazion is a sterile, painless inflammation- meaning there is no active infection. So if your eyelid bump persists after you’ve treated the active infection and done warm compresses for a while, you may have a chalazion. If removal is desired, a steroid injection or surgical incision and curettage can be performed.
Is there a way to prevent styes?
Keeping the lid margin and lash line free of bacteria is the best way to prevent styes. There are various types of foaming lid cleanser, sprays, or wipes that can be used (more on that in the meibomian gland dysfunction post). For those wearing eye makeup (especially liquid eyeliner or mascara), it is recommended that you replace that at least every three months to reduce the risk of infection. Thoroughly removing all eye makeup before bed is also important. Of course, having your hands clean before touching/rubbing your eyes is critical.
If you have recurrent styes, there is a good chance that you have a condition called blepharitis. Blepharitis is essentially inflammation of the eyelids caused by an overload of bacteria along the lash line. Your optometrist can take a look through their microscope to evaluate for blepharitis and make the appropriate management/treatment recommendations.
CLIFFSNOTES: A stye, or hordeolum, is an infection of one of the glands in the eyelid. Applying warm compresses to the stye is recommended, though some styes require more medical treatment. If your stye does not go away or seems to be getting worse, go see your optometrist STAT!