Stye/Chalazion/Hordeolum

A stye (also called a "chalazion" (cha-lays-ee-on) or a "hordeolum" (hoar-dee-oh-lum) is a blocked duct on an eye lid. Eyelashes, like other hairs, have oil glands just below the skin to keep them healthy. Eyelids secrete mucous through other glands to keep the lid smoothly moving over the eyeball. If the ducts (tiny tubes) from these glands become blocked, oil or mucous build up behind them. This causes swelling, either at the edge of the lid or underneath the lid where it touches the eyeball. If germs in the material in the blocked gland start to grow, the gland becomes infected. An infected gland will become even more swollen, and it will get red and painful. Many children who have a stye have visible redness and swelling of a part of the eyelid or the edge of the lid. Some children will complain of feeling like there’s "something in the eye." This happens when the stye is on the under-surface of the lid where it pushes into the sensitive skin on the surface of the eyeball (the cornea).

Styes are not dangerous, but they can be very uncomfortable. Children often complain of pain or stinging in the eye. In very rare cases, the infected gland can burst and the infection can spread onto the surface of the eye or the tissue around it.

We treat a stye in two ways. First, it’s important to try to get the blocked duct open. You can do that by carefully applying a warm (not hot!) compress to the eyelid. You may want to have your child sit or lie down and hold a warm moist washcloth over the lid. Keep the compress on for 15 minutes or so. Repeat this at least four times each day. Some children feel better with the warm compress on the eyelid, so you can do it for longer or more often if your child would like you to. Please be sure to use a clean washcloth, and to use warm, but not hot water. It is important to continue this treatment until the duct opens and the infection drains. You may see some yellow- or green-colored pus drain from the area or you may simply see the swelling and redness go down.

As with most infections that are caused by bacteria, it is also important to use an antibiotic to kill the germs. This will help your child’s body eliminate the infection and heal the injured tissue. Your doctor may prescribe antibiotic drops or ointment, or s/he may prescribe an antibiotic for your child to take by mouth. Please feel free to discuss these options with your doctor. Both methods work well, so ask your doctor for whichever one will work best for you and your child. You may want to read our Aftercare Instructions on Administering Eye Medications or Administering Oral Medications.

A stye is not dangerous by itself. It is important, though, to be sure there’s not some other condition going on, or that the tissues around the eyelid haven’t become infected. Here are some things to watch for:

• A continued feeling that there’s "something in the eye" for more than 1-2 days after starting treatment
• Pain in the eyeball itself, or pain associated with bright light or movement of the eye
• Fever (a stye does not normally cause a fever)
• Redness, swelling, or tenderness that spreads to the skin around the eye or eyelid
• Blurry vision or other problems seeing (except just after applying drops or ointment in the eye)

Some children (or even parents) want to squeeze the swollen area. This is a bad idea, and will cause the swelling and pain to increase. It can also cause the infection to spread. Please be sure to tell your child and anyone who cares for him or her not to squeeze or press on the stye.

Most doctors agree that in general, if someone feels as if there’s something in the eye, there probably is. Children with styes often feel as if they have something in their eye, which is usually just the stye pushing onto the eyeball. This feeling should go away very soon after starting treatment. If it persists for more than a day or two, please see your doctor right away – there’s probably actually something in the eye, and this could cause injury.

Sometimes a stye can rub against the surface of the eye (the cornea) hard enough to scratch it. Your doctor probably checked for a "corneal abrasion" when s/he diagnosed the stye. Fortunately, the treatment for the abrasion is the same as for the stye, namely antibiotics. Still, if your child complains of pain getting worse rather than better, please call your doctor and see whether a re-check is in order.

Spreading infection from a stye can occasionally cause a serious condition called "cellulitis" (sell-you-light-us). This is a rapidly-spreading bacterial infection of the tissue on the face, and can be quite dangerous. If your child develops fever along with redness, swelling, or tenderness that moves beyond the lid and onto the face, nose, or forehead, please see your doctor right away. You can read our General Information Topic on Cellulitis.