What is a stye?
A stye is a small abscess (painful collection of pus) on the eyelid and is an infection at the root of an eyelash. It appears as a small painful red lump, often with a yellow spot in the middle, on the outside of the eyelid.
A stye
Other symptoms include a watery eye and a red eye or eyelid. It is not always necessary to see a doctor if you develop a stye,
Causes of styes
Styes are fairly common and a person may have two or more styes during their lifetime. Styes are usually caused by an infection with staphylococcus bacteria.
How do I get rid of a stye?
Almost all styes get better without treatment within a few days or weeks. Some styes burst and release pus after three or four days. A warm compress (a cloth warmed with warm water) held against the eye encourages the stye to release pus and heal more quickly.
Further treatment is not usually needed unless you have a very painful stye that is not getting better or a very swollen red lid indicating spreading infection. In this case, see your doctor who may decide to treat it with antibiotics, drain it or get an ophthalmologist (eye doctor) to see you.
You should never attempt to burst a stye yourself.
We have explained when should I see a doctor about a stye. Rarely.
