Is Your Eye Pain the Result of a Stye? Here's How To Tell

Eye pain can make you downright miserable. At best, it’s a distracting and uncomfortable issue, but at worst, it can ruin your day. Styes are one of the most common causes of eye pain, but they can sometimes be hard to identify.

Here’s everything you need to know to spot and treat a stye successfully.

What Is a Stye?

A stye, also known as a hordeolum, is a painful red bump that forms near the edge of your eyelid. They’re sometimes caused by reactions to products like eye makeup or contact lenses, and they might also develop due to another eye condition like blepharitis.

These bumps sometimes look like a pimple, and it might be tempting to try to pop one — but that’s never the right move.

What Causes Styes?

Styes are often caused by a bacterial infection. A bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus is a common culprit behind styes, and it’s the same bacteria that causes staph infections.

In other cases, styes can result from a blockage in one of the oil glands or hair follicles at the base of your eyelashes. You might be more likely to deal with this type of stye if you have oily or acne-prone skin.

Less-than-ideal eye care is another risk factor for styes. Eye doctors recommend carefully washing your entire eyelids, including your eyelashes, daily to avoid clogged glands and inflamed follicles. If you don’t regularly care for your eyes like this, you’re more likely to deal with issues like blepharitis and styes.

What Are the Symptoms of a Stye?

A stye looks like a bump on the edge of the eyelid, sometimes red and inflamed. This bump can cause swelling, crusting, and oozing around the eyelid.

Internal styes form on the inner edge of the eyelid, giving you the sense that a foreign object is in your eye. It’s an uncomfortable sensation that can be hard to describe, but when you explain your problem to an eye doctor, they’ll know how to help.

External styes, which form on the outer edge of the eyelid, can be easier to spot and sometimes more manageable. Since these styes aren’t forming as close to your eyeball, they don’t feel as invasive.

How Are Styes Treated?

Treatment for styes can start at home. If home remedies don’t help, it might be time to visit an ophthalmologist or optometrist.

One of the most tried-and-true remedies for a sty is a warm compress, which you can make with a washcloth and some warm water. Letting a warm compress rest on your eyes can help with eyelid swelling caused by a stye and give the affected area a chance to heal.

If you’ve used a warm compress for several days and haven’t seen a change in the severity of your stye or the overall inflammation of the eyelids, your eye doctor might recommend a prescription for an oral antibiotic or ointment. This topical treatment will stop the stye from getting more inflamed and manage the infection.

Self-care at home is the best way to say goodbye to a stye most of the time.

How Can You Prevent Styes?

If you’re dealing with styes on a regular basis, it’s time to make some changes for the sake of your overall eye health. Below are the best ways to prevent styes and create an eye care routine that protects you from other issues:

Keep Your Hands Clean

Styes sometimes develop because bacteria transfer from your hands to your eyes or contact lenses. Always wash your hands thoroughly before touching your eyes or handling your contacts to stop the spread of bacteria.

Sanitize and Swap Your Contacts

Many contact lens wearers experience styes because of dirty lenses and cases. Swapping out your lenses after they’ve maxed out their lifespan will help you stop the spread of bacteria to your eyelids, as will replacing your case at least once per month. Plus, thoroughly cleaning your contacts with a solution before and after each use is necessary.

If you’re consistently getting styes and wear contacts regularly, your contact solution may be irritating your eyes and causing a recurring reaction. If you think this might be the root cause of your styes, talk to your healthcare provider about allergy testing and consider taking a break from wearing contacts.

Switching to glasses can also protect your eyes and eyelids from further irritation and allow you to decide whether a different contact solution — or sticking with glasses long-term — is right for you.

Take Off Your Eye Makeup Before Bed

Going to bed with makeup on can irritate your skin and eyes, making a stye more likely to develop overnight. Even if you’re exhausted after a long day, take the time to thoroughly wash your face and remove all of your eye makeup with a gentle solution.

If you regularly get styes, taking a break from eye makeup altogether can give your eyes a chance to rest and recover from ongoing irritation.

Don’t Wear Eye Makeup That’s Expired

Sadly, eye makeup doesn’t have an eternal shelf life. Mascara typically expires after three months, and eyeliner after six. Past this point, these products can become breeding grounds for stye-causing bacteria.

If you haven’t swapped out your eye makeup in a long time, it’s probably time to toss those old products and wear something new.

Don’t Share Towels and Other Personal Items

Bacteria can spread to your eyes when you share certain toiletries with others. While it might be tempting to borrow your roommate’s towel or makeup brush, that’s a quick and easy way to put yourself at risk of developing a stye.

In addition, don’t forget to regularly swap out towels and washcloths and clean your makeup brushes to stop bacteria from growing.

Know When To Visit the Eye Doctor

If you’re developing styes regularly and not seeing results from over-the-counter and at-home stye treatments, you need an eye doctor’s help. An ophthalmologist can prescribe more powerful medications to treat a stye, and they might even recommend surgery to drain a persistent stye that hasn’t gone away.

An optometrist or ophthalmologist can also monitor your overall eye health and help you determine if an underlying condition is making you more prone to styes.

How To Tell if It’s a Stye (or Something Else)

If you have a painful lump on the inside or outside of your eyelid, it may be a stye — but it may also be hard to tell.

Here’s how to know for sure that the pain in your eye is the result of a stye and not something else:

Styes vs. Other Eye Conditions

Several other eye conditions can look similar to a stye and cause some of the same symptoms. The big three that are often confused with styes are chalazia, blepharitis, and conjunctivitis (pink eye).

A chalazion is a lump on the eye caused by a blocked oil gland. The key difference between chalazia and styes is pain; styes tend to hurt, while chalazia don’t. While styes can develop overnight, a chalazion sometimes takes several days to fully form.

Blepharitis causes swelling of the entire upper or lower eyelid (sometimes both), along with crustiness, flakes of dead skin near the eyelash follicles, and irritation. Blepharitis can sometimes cause styes by irritating and spreading bacteria around your eyelids, but it’s a separate issue.

Conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye, is an infection that affects the conjunctiva, a protective membrane covering the whites of your eyes and inner eyelids. If you have pink eye, you’ll likely experience itching, redness, and discharge from the affected eye. However, pink eye usually doesn’t cause styes.

If you’re not sure whether you’re dealing with a stye or one of these other conditions, the easiest way to find out is with a visit to the eye doctor. You can save yourself stress and guesswork by relying on a professional instead of looking up symptoms online or asking friends and family for help.

Say Goodbye to Styes

Getting rid of a stye sometimes takes patience and may also call for backup from an eye care professional. However, you can achieve peace of mind knowing your stye willgo away with the right treatment. It’s uncomfortable, but you can count on that painful little bump to fade over time when you give it the care it needs.

Sources

Stye (Sty): What It Is, Causes, Symptoms & Treatment | Cleveland Clinic

Stye Symptoms | Mayo Clinic

Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye) | CDC

Eye Infections From Contact Lenses | American Academy of Ophthalmology