What Is a Stye?
A stye is a red, hot, and tender bump on the outer (and sometimes inner) edge of your eyelid. It looks like a pimple or a boil. Also spelled "sty," this bump happens when old oil, dead skin cells, or old bacteria block one of your oil glands. This blockage makes good conditions for bacteria to grow and cause an infection. A stye can be painful and may cause your eyelid to swell or tear up.
Styes should go away in a couple of days and shouldn't affect your vision. There are home remedies that can help relieve your pain and discomfort in the meantime.
Stye Remedies
Two things you can do at home may help get rid of your stye faster:
Use a warm compress
Heat can help the stye drain. Soak a clean cloth in warm water and then put it over your affected eye with your eye closed. Keep the compress on for 10-15 minutes and repeat the process two to four times a day.
Baby shampoo for styes
You can buy specially made eye cleansers, but you can also use baby shampoo. This mild soap made for babies' sensitive eyes won't cause burning or irritation if it gets inside your eye. Mix a few drops of baby shampoo into warm water, then use a cotton swab to gently brush the solution onto your stye. Rinse well. Make sure to wash your hands well before touching or cleaning your eyes.
When to See a Doctor for Stye Treatment
Most styes go away on their own. But sometimes, you may need medical attention. In general, call your doctor if your stye hurts or doesn't seem to be getting better after two days.
Other signs you need medical help are:
- The stye makes it hard to see
- It becomes very large or painful
- It forms a blister on your eyelid
- It bleeds
- Your eyelid gets crusty or scaly
- Your eye, or the entire eyelid, is red
- You're sensitive to light
- Your eye is tearing up
- The stye keeps coming back
Your doctor might treat you or they may refer you to an ophthalmologist or a doctor who treats eye problems.
There are a few ways a doctor can help you treat a stye:
Stye ointment. The doctor might prescribe antibiotic ointment to put on your eyelid.
Stye eye drops. You also can treat a stubborn stye with antibiotic eye drops.
Draining a stye. If your stye doesn't go away, your doctor may make tiny cuts on it. These cuts will help drain pus from the stye.
Oral antibiotics. To prevent the stye from spreading to the surrounding skin, or treat it if this has already happened, your doctor might prescribe antibiotics you can take by mouth. They also might prescribe antibiotics to prevent infection after draining a stye.
Stye Self-Care
It's important to keep the stye clean and free of irritation while it heals. To do this, you should:
Avoid touching the stye. Except when you're cleaning it, you should leave your stye alone. Irritating it will make it worse.
Wear glasses. Although contact lenses don't cause styes, they can easily get contaminated with the bacteria associated with styes. For this reason, if you normally wear contact lenses, you should try to go without them until your stye heals. In the meantime, wear glasses if you have them. After your stye goes away, you should order new contacts.
Avoid makeup. While you're at it, you should temporarily stop using eye makeup, too. To prevent further irritation or infection, you'll want to keep the area around your stye clean and uncovered.
Stye Complications
Bacterial infections of the oil glands can cause styes. If the bacteria spread to the skin around the stye, it could lead to a skin infection called cellulitis. The eye or eyelid might become red, warm, and painful. This is an emergency. If left untreated, the infection could harm your vision and cause life-threatening complications.
If you think you might have cellulitis, call your doctor immediately.
What makes a stye worse?
A tiny mite called Demodex can cause a skin condition called blepharitis. This can make you more likely to get styes. It also may make your styes worse.
Other things than can irritate or spread a stye are:
- Touching it
- Wearing contact lenses
- Wearing makeup
Popping a stye
Never try to pop, squeeze, or drain a stye on your own. This could cause bacteria to spread to the rest of your eye.
Stye Prevention
The best way to prevent a stye is using proper eye hygiene. This means:
- Wash your hands often.
- Avoid touching and rubbing your eyes.
- Don't use old eye makeup. Avoid sharing makeup with others or wearing it overnight.
- Clean your eyelids with warm water and baby shampoo.
- If you use a warm washcloth to soothe a stye, clean it afterward.
- If you have blepharitis, treat it.
These simple steps will help keep the eyelid clean and free of bacteria and other irritants.
Takeaways
A stye is a red, inflamed bump on your eyelid. Usually, it goes away on its own. Home remedies like holding a warm compress to your eye can help. If it doesn't start getting better within two days, call a doctor. They can drain it or prescribe antibiotic treatment.
Stye Treatment FAQs
What helps get rid of a stye fast?
Holding a warm compress on your stye for 10-15 minutes a few times a day can help soothe a stye.
Can I use coconut oil for styes?
Coconut oil has anti-inflammatory and antibiotic properties, but so far, there's not a lot of evidence showing that it helps with styes.
Do all styes need antibiotics?
No. Most styes go away on their own.
What causes a stye in your eye?
Styes form when an oil gland becomes blocked and infected.
Should you put a cold compress on a stye?
You can treat styes at home with a warm compress.
Can I use Neosporin on a stye?
There is a special version of Neosporin (Neosporin Ophthalmic Ointment) that can treat eye infections, including blepharitis. This is different from the skin ointment.
What is a stye filled with?
Styes usually contain pus.
