What is a sty?

Inflammed gland: A sty (stye) is an inflammed oil gland of the eyelid that appears as a red, tender pimple. It is caused by a bacterial infection of the gland. Usually, the sty drains & heals on its own. If the gland becomes blocked, it is called a chalazion and may need to be lanced by a doctor. You can treat a sty by applying a warm compress for 10 min 4x/day. Do not squeeze it!

Infection of eyelid: A hordeolum is an infection of the sebaceous glands at the base of the eyelashes, or an infection of the sweat glands. Commonly caused by a bacterial infection, or by blocking of an oil gland at the base of the eyelash. Common in infants, styes are experienced by people of all ages. Styes can be triggered by poor nutrition, sleep deprivation, lack of hygiene or rubbing of the eyes.

Clogged oil gland: Sty is when an oil gland of the eyelid margin gets clogged and the oil backs up and forming a pocket of stagnant oil and the eyelid becomes inflamed (inflamed, not infection). A hordeolum is the acute phase or beginning stage of a stye, and a chalazion is the chronic phase (where the oil becomes more granular, thick and the skin inflammation resolves, but there is still a bump/nodule in the eyelid.

Stye: If this occurred rather suddenly, it probably is a stye, which is a blocked oil gland of the eyelid. It can become secondarily infected and can spread to adjacent tissues leading to cellulitis. Most of these styes respond to very warm compresses 3-4 times/day for 10' followed by gentle massage with a washcloth containing a small amount of baby shampoo. After a week, the stye should nearly resolve.

Warm compresses: If caught early warm compresses will help the sty drain .Compresses should not be too warm to burn the eyelid and should be utilized 4 times a day for 5-10 minutes. Antibiotic drops or ointment are used and need to be prescribed by an eyecare professional. Rare case require systemic antibiotics. If the lesion doesn't drain the lesion may need to be surgically drained.

Compresses!: You can use warm compresses - a washcloth with warm water and hold it to the closed eye for 5-10 minutes 3 times a day. You can massage it with your fingers after the compress, but do not aggravate it. You are trying to get it to drain on its own. You may need it incised and drained if this does not work. See and ophthalmologist. A sty is not and infection, so antibiotics do not help.