Stye

Styes are common and should clear up on their own within a week or 2. They're rarely a sign of anything serious, but may be painful until they heal.

Check if you have a stye

Stye on upper eyelid — A stye is a small, painful lump on or inside the eyelid or around the eye.

Swollen stye leaking pus on upper eyelid — The skin may be red, swollen and filled with yellow pus like a pimple.

Stye on lower eyelid — Your eye may be red and watery but your vision should not be affected.

A stye usually only affects 1 eye, but it's possible to have more than 1 at a time.

It's probably not a stye if:

there's no lump – if your eye or eyelid is swollen, red and watery it's more likely to be conjunctivitis or blepharitis
the lump is hard but not very painful – it's more likely to be a chalazion

How you can treat a stye yourself

To reduce swelling and help the stye heal:

Soak a clean flannel in warm water.
Hold it against your eye for 5 to 10 minutes.
Repeat this 3 or 4 times a day.

To relieve the pain, take painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen. Do not give aspirin to children under 16.

Avoid wearing contact lenses and eye make-up until the stye has burst and healed.

Important

Do not try to burst a stye or remove an eyelash yourself. This can spread the infection.

Non-urgent advice: See a GP if your stye:

is very painful or swollen
does not get better within a few weeks
affects your vision

Treatment from a GP

If you have a stye, your GP may:

burst the stye with a thin, sterilised needle
remove the eyelash closest to the stye
refer you to an eye specialist in hospital

You cannot always prevent a stye

Styes are often caused by bacteria infecting an eyelash follicle or eyelid gland.

You're also more likely to get a stye if you have long-term blepharitis.

You can help avoid styes by keeping your eyes clean.

Do

wash your face and remove eye make-up before bed
replace your eye make-up every 6 months
keep your eyelids and eyelashes clean, especially if you have blepharitis

Don't

do not share towels or flannels with someone who has a stye
do not rub your eyes if you have not recently washed your hands
do not put contact lenses in before washing your hands

Page last reviewed: 12 January 2018
Next review due: 12 January 2021