Stye (Hordeolum)

What causes a stye?

As mentioned above, a type of bacteria called staph (Staphylococcus) is typically what causes styes in the eyes. Anyone can develop styes and many people will experience a stye in their eye at some point. However, certain factors can increase your likelihood of getting a stye:

• Poor hygiene: cleaning your eyelids thoroughly prevents build‑up of oil and bacteria

• Blepharitis: a chronic eye condition caused by inflammation of the eyelids

• Cosmetics: using expired or contaminated eye make‑up and/or not removing your make‑up properly

• Health conditions: incl. rosacea, eczema and diabetes

• Immunodeficiency: styes are more likely to occur when your immune system is weakened

Stye eye treatment

After a couple of weeks, a stye will usually go away on its own. Throughout this time, the stye will usually swell, before developing a white or yellow ‘head’ (similar to a spot) that will eventually drain and disappear.

To speed up this process, there are a few things you can do to help it on its way, and ease some of your symptoms.

How to treat an eye stye with home remedies

If you want to know how to get rid of a stye more quickly, using a warm compress against it will help to encourage the rupturing process, enabling the pus to drain away and the stye to heal. Simply take a washcloth or flannel and soak it in warm water. Hold this up to the affected eye for around 10‑15 minutes and repeat four to six times a day.

Remember to keep your eye closed during the warm compress. The heat will encourage any pus to come to the surface, so the fluid can be released, and the healing process can begin.

Medical treatment for styes

If the stye is persistent and does not go away on its own, you may need to see a ophthalmologist who can manually drain the pus with the aid of local anaesthesia. They will use a needle to create an incision in the stye that the pus can flow through. Sometimes styes can recur frequently, in which case you may be prescribed an antibiotic ointment to place on the affected area.

A stye may cause considerable pain and discomfort, depending on the size, placement and other factors. You can take an over‑the‑counter painkiller such as paracetamol or ibuprofen to alleviate these painful symptoms, but make sure to follow the directions on the label.

If you’ve followed this advice and still find that the stye is not going away, it’s swelling or hurting more, or that your vision is being affected, please contact your local Specsavers store where an optometrist will advise the best course of action.

How to prevent a stye

You may not be able to avoid styes completely, especially if you have long‑term blepharitis or rosacea. There are a few things you can do to minimise the risk of bacteria infecting an eyelash follicle or gland though.

• Always wash your face and remove eye make‑up before going to bed. Using an eye make‑up remover or facial cleanser will help to remove all traces of your make‑up.

• You may not know this, but makeup has a sell‑by date! Try to replace your eye makeup every six months and avoid sharing products with others.

• Keep your eyelids and eyelashes clean, especially if you are prone to getting styes.

• Always wash your hands before putting in your contact lenses or touching your eyes – check out our contact lens hygiene tips.

• Don’t share towels or flannels with anyone else, and aim to use a fresh one every evening.