Sty Treatment

Self-Care at Home

Most styes go away on their own in 5-7 days.

• Apply warm compresses 4-6 times a day for about 15 minutes at a time to help the drainage. Keep your eyes closed.

• Gently scrub the eyelid with tap water or with a mild, nonirritating soap or shampoo (such as baby shampoo). This may help with drainage. Close your eyes as you scrub so you do not injure your eyes.

• Do not squeeze or puncture the sty. A more serious infection may occur as a result.

• Discontinue the use of eye makeup as well as eye lotions and creams because they may be infected.

• Discontinue wearing your contact lenses because the sty may cause an infection to spread to your cornea with the continued use of your contact lenses.

Medical Treatment

Care is mainly provided to help relieve your symptoms and to hasten recovery.

• Warm compresses are usually recommended.

• Pain medicine, such as acetaminophen ( Tylenol), may be given or recommended.

• Antibiotics may be necessary.
  
  
  • Topical antibiotics may be given by your ophthalmologist.
    
    
  • Occasionally, oral antibiotics are given to people either with styes that do not go away or with multiple styes as well as to those who have styes in addition to other conditions, such as blepharitis or rosacea.
    
    
  • For people who have rosacea along with a sty, they may require treatment of their cheeks with an antibiotic cream, an oral antibiotic, or both.
    
    
  • Oral or IV antibiotics are usually given if the infection has spread.

• Your ophthalmologist may remove the pus from a large or painful sty by making a small cut and then draining the pus.