A stye is a small, painful lump that forms on your eyelid when one of the tiny oil glands near your eyelashes gets infected. It looks and feels a lot like a pimple or boil, and it’s almost always caused by staphylococcal bacteria. Most styes last one to two weeks and clear up on their own, but knowing what type you have and how to treat it at home can speed things along and help you avoid complications.
What Causes a Stye
Your eyelids contain dozens of small oil glands that keep your eyes lubricated. When bacteria, usually staph, get into one of these glands, the gland becomes blocked and infected. The result is a red, swollen bump filled with pus.
There are two types, depending on which gland is involved. An external stye forms at the base of an eyelash, in a gland that opens directly into the hair follicle. This is the more common kind and what most people picture when they hear the word “stye.” An internal stye develops deeper in the eyelid, inside a larger oil gland called a meibomian gland. Internal styes tend to be more painful and take longer to resolve because the infection sits further from the surface.
What a Stye Looks and Feels Like
The hallmark of a stye is pain. You’ll notice a tender, red or discolored lump near the edge of your eyelid, often with a yellowish center as pus collects. The surrounding eyelid typically swells, and your eye may water more than usual. Some people feel like something is stuck in their eye, especially with an internal stye that presses against the eyeball from inside the lid.
Styes usually develop quickly, going from a vague soreness to a visible bump within a day or two. That rapid, painful onset is one of the easiest ways to tell a stye apart from a chalazion, which is a similar-looking eyelid bump but without the pain. A chalazion forms when an oil gland clogs without an active infection. It tends to develop farther back on the eyelid, grows more slowly, and feels firm rather than tender. A chalazion can actually start as an internal stye that never fully drains.
How to Treat a Stye at Home
Warm compresses are the most effective home treatment. Soak a clean washcloth in warm water, wring it out, and hold it gently against your closed eyelid for about five minutes. Repeat this several times a day. The warmth helps the blocked gland open and drain on its own, which is what ultimately resolves the infection. You can reheat or re-soak the cloth as it cools to keep consistent warmth on the area.
While you’re waiting for the stye to heal, resist the urge to squeeze or pop it. Forcing the pus out can spread the infection deeper into the eyelid or into surrounding tissue. Let it drain naturally. Keep the area clean by washing your eyelids gently with warm water, and avoid touching or rubbing your eyes throughout the day.
Makeup, Contacts, and Hygiene
Skip eye makeup entirely while you have an active stye. Mascara, eyeliner, and eyeshadow can reintroduce bacteria to the area and slow healing. Once the stye has fully cleared, throw out any eye makeup you were using before the infection started. As a general rule, replace eye makeup at least every three months to limit bacterial buildup.
Contact lens wearers should switch to glasses until the stye is gone. Lenses can irritate the already inflamed eyelid and trap bacteria against your eye. Before you go back to contacts, wash your hands thoroughly, clean and disinfect your lenses, and consider replacing your lens case. If you wear daily disposables, start with a fresh pair.
Risk Factors for Getting Styes
Some people get styes once and never again. Others deal with them repeatedly. Frequent styes often point to chronic inflammation of the eyelid margins, a condition where the oil glands along your lash line stay partially clogged. People who tend to rub their eyes, skip handwashing before touching their face, or sleep in their eye makeup are at higher risk. Stress and lack of sleep can also play a role, likely because they weaken the immune response that normally keeps skin bacteria in check.
When a Stye Needs Medical Attention
Most styes resolve without any medical treatment. But in rare cases, the infection can spread beyond the gland and into the surrounding eyelid tissue or even the face. Warning signs include swelling that extends across the entire eyelid, redness spreading to the cheek or around the eye socket, fever, or any change in your vision. These symptoms suggest the infection has progressed to a condition called preseptal cellulitis, which requires oral antibiotics and sometimes stronger treatment.
A stye that hasn’t improved after two weeks of consistent warm compresses, or one that keeps coming back in the same spot, is also worth getting checked. For recurring styes, a doctor may recommend a longer course of medication to calm the underlying gland inflammation that’s making you prone to repeat infections. If a stye has hardened into a painless but persistent lump, it has likely transitioned into a chalazion, which sometimes needs a minor in-office procedure to drain.