Treatment for both conditions is similar. Most sties are harmless to your eye and won't affect your ability to see clearly. Try self-care measures first, such as applying a warm washcloth to your closed eyelid for five to 10 minutes several times a day and gently massaging the eyelid. Contact your doctor if:. A sty is caused by an infection of oil glands in the eyelid.
The bacterium staphylococcus is commonly responsible for most of these infections. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products.
Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Sty Open pop-up dialog box Close. Styes are caused by infected oil glands on your eyelids, which form a red bump that resembles acne. Poor hygiene, old makeup, and certain medical or skin conditions can increase your risk for styes. To get rid of a stye, you can gently wash your eyelids, use a warm compress, and try antibiotic ointments.
This article was medically reviewed by Jason R. What causes a stye Styes are caused by infected oil glands in your eyelids. There a few reasons why people tend to get styes: Poor hygiene. Chlorine or sweat. In most cases, the infection is caused by the Staphylococcus bacteria. Often the lump is red and painful and looks like a boil or pimple. Although most styes form on the outside of the eyelid, some do develop on the inside.
In the majority of cases, styes get better within 1 week without any medical intervention. External styes, or those outside the eyelid, may turn yellow and release pus.
Internal styes that appear inside the eyelid tend to be more painful. Applying a warm compress gently against the stye helps it release pus more readily, and resolve the pain and swelling. Sometimes a stye can recur. In this article, we will cover the symptoms of a stye, how they are diagnosed, treatments, including home remedies, risk factors, and possible complications.
Most commonly, styes only affect one eye at a time. The patient will have a painful red swelling on the eyelid which can make the eye produce tears and become red. Sometimes styes can look like a pimple. Styes very rarely affect both eyes simultaneously. An individual will generally have one stye in one eye. However, it is possible to have more than one stye in the same eye or one in each eye. Symptoms of a stye can include:.
The individual should speak to a doctor if the stye persists for greater than 1 week, vision problems arise, if the swelling becomes particularly painful, bleeds, or spreads to other parts of the face, or if the eyelid or eyes become red. External styes emerge along the outer edge of the eyelid.
If a stye is affecting your vision, see your eye doctor. This would require the person with a stye to touch their eye and then directly transfer the bacteria to the eye of someone else. Most styes last 3 to 7 days but can persist as long as a week or two.
You can speed up the healing process by applying warm compresses for 10 to 15 minutes, three or four times a day, over the course of several days. This will relieve the pain and bring the stye to a head, much like a pimple. In most cases, the stye will then open, drain and heal without further intervention. Though most styes will go away with basic home remedies , like warm compresses, some need to be treated medically or drained surgically. Just as you should not pop a pimple, the same is true for an eye stye.
You should never pop a stye , but instead allow it to open on its own. A stye that forms inside the eyelid called an internal hordeolum might not rupture and heal on its own. Because this type of stye can be more serious, your eye doctor may need to open and drain it.
If you have frequent styes, your eye doctor may want to prescribe an antibiotic ointment. He or she also might recommend using pre-moistened eyelid cleaning pads for daily lid hygiene to reduce the risk of styes and blepharitis. There is no direct evidence that stress causes styes. However, because styes are an infection, anything that compromises your immune system, such as stress or lack of sleep, might make you more prone to them.
In addition, lack of sleep often leads to rubbing your eyes more frequently, which can be a risk factor. If you keep getting styes, it is likely that you have not addressed the risk factors that are causing them, such as poor eyelid cleaning habits, irritated or itchy eyes , rubbing your eyes or not cleaning your contact lenses on the recommended schedule.
For more detailed information, see our article on how to get rid of a stye.
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