Styes are very common, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t painful or irritating. An eye stye can form when one of the glands along the base of your eyelashes becomes clogged and infected.
Styes, which look similar to pimples, can form on your eyelid or the lining of your eye. The stye and the area around it might be tender and uncomfortable. You may feel like you have something stuck in your eye, causing the production of excess tears.
While it’s tempting to try to “pop” a stye, please don’t. You risk causing yourself further discomfort or making the condition worse.
How to Treat an Eye Stye
Most styes will go away on their own after a few days. You can help speed things up by laying a clean, warm compress over the area for 5 to 10 minutes, several times a day. Over-the-counter pain relief medication may be helpful if approved and recommended by a licensed physician. It is important to discontinue contact use and eye makeup application in an effort to keep the area clean.
Stye Prevention
- Wash your eyelids daily with a gentle soap.
- Remove eye makeup daily.
- Do not use someone else’s eye makeup.
- Toss older makeup and replace it yearly.
Professional Treatment – Signs & Symptoms
You should make an appointment with an eye doctor if:
- the stye does not go away after a few days or gets worse.
- you experience eye pain or you can’t open your eye completely
- your eye swells or turns red
- you have recurring styes
To make an appointment with one of the eye doctors at Michigan Eye Institute, please schedule an appointment online or contact the location nearest you.
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