A stye is a red, painful bump on your eyelid caused by a blocked and infected gland, and the single most effective thing you can do is apply warm, wet compresses for 5 to 10 minutes, 3 to 6 times a day. Most styes last one to two weeks and go away on their own, but consistent warm compresses can speed that timeline considerably.
How to Apply a Warm Compress
Soak a clean washcloth in warm water, wring it out, and hold it gently against your closed eyelid. Keep it there for 5 to 10 minutes. The heat softens the oily blockage inside the gland, helping it drain naturally. You’ll need to do this 3 to 6 times a day for it to work well, which means roughly every few waking hours.
The washcloth cools quickly, so rewet it with warm water a few times during each session. Use a fresh washcloth each time, or at least one that’s been laundered since the last use, to avoid reintroducing bacteria. Some people find microwavable eye masks more convenient since they hold heat longer, but a washcloth works just as well.
What Not to Do
Never squeeze or pop a stye. This can release bacteria and spread the infection to other parts of your eye. It’s tempting, especially once you see a visible white or yellow head forming, but the risk of making things worse is real. Let the warm compresses do the work.
Avoid wearing eye makeup while you have a stye. Mascara and eyeliner can further block the gland and introduce more bacteria. If you wear contact lenses, switch to glasses until the stye resolves. Contacts can irritate the area and trap bacteria against your eye.
Over-the-Counter Stye Ointments
You’ll find stye ointments at most pharmacies, but they’re not what many people expect. These products are lubricants, not antibiotics. Their active ingredients are mineral oil and white petrolatum, which temporarily relieve burning, irritation, and dryness around the eye. They can make the stye more comfortable, but they won’t treat the underlying infection or make the stye go away faster. Warm compresses remain the primary treatment.
How to Tell a Stye From a Chalazion
During the first couple of days, a stye and a chalazion can look identical: a swollen, tender eyelid. After that, they diverge. A stye stays painful and develops a small yellowish pustule right at the edge of your eyelid, usually at the base of an eyelash. You might notice tearing, light sensitivity, or a feeling like something is stuck in your eye.
A chalazion, by contrast, forms deeper in the eyelid and becomes a small, firm, painless nodule after a day or two. Chalazions aren’t caused by infection. They happen when an oil gland gets blocked and the trapped material irritates surrounding tissue. The treatment approach is similar (warm compresses), but chalazions tend to take longer to resolve and are more likely to need a minor procedure if they persist beyond one to two months.
When a Stye Needs Medical Attention
Most styes don’t require a doctor visit. But there are two clear signals that yours does: if the stye hasn’t started improving after 48 hours of consistent warm compresses, or if the redness and swelling spread beyond the bump itself to cover your entire eyelid, your cheek, or other parts of your face. Spreading redness can indicate the infection is moving into surrounding tissue, which requires prompt treatment.
Your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic ointment, particularly if the stye is actively draining, to prevent the infection from spreading to neighboring glands. Oral antibiotics are typically reserved for styes that keep coming back, don’t respond to other treatment, or show signs of a more serious infection spreading to the skin around the eye.
If a Stye Won’t Go Away
Some styes persist for weeks despite warm compresses and medication. When a bump becomes a chronic nuisance, weighs down your eyelid, or partially blocks your vision, a doctor may recommend draining it surgically. This is a quick in-office procedure done under local anesthesia.
The incision is usually made on the inside of the eyelid, so there’s no visible scar. Your eyelid may feel sore for a few days afterward, and you’ll typically use antibiotic drops or cream for about a week to prevent reinfection. A pressure patch goes over the eye briefly after the procedure, but you can shower and return to your usual activities right away.
Preventing Styes From Coming Back
Styes are caused by bacteria that thrive around blocked oil glands, so prevention comes down to keeping your eyelids clean and reducing bacterial buildup. A few specific habits make the biggest difference:
- Remove eye makeup before bed. Sleeping in mascara or eyeliner blocks the oil glands along your lash line and traps bacteria against them.
- Replace cosmetics regularly. Old eye makeup harbors bacteria. Toss mascara every three months, and replace any eye products you used during an active stye.
- Don’t share eye makeup or brushes. Bacteria transfer easily between people this way.
- Wash your hands before touching your eyes or handling contact lenses. Follow your lens cleaning routine consistently and replace lenses on schedule. Avoid sleeping in lenses that aren’t designed for overnight wear.
If you get styes repeatedly, a daily eyelid hygiene routine can help. Gently washing your lash line with diluted baby shampoo or a pre-moistened eyelid wipe removes the debris and bacteria that accumulate there throughout the day. Doing this before bed takes less than a minute and significantly reduces the chance of another blocked gland.