Do You Have A Stye or Chalazion?

Hey guys,

Just a quick post today as I’ve got lots of work to do

I’ve received quite a few emails lately from folk asking about the differences between styes and chalazia (chalazions), so I thought I’d take a few moments to clarify the similarities and differences.

After reading, you should be able to take an educated guess as to whether you have a stye or chalazion.

Stye & Chalazia Similarities

The primary symptom of both a stye and a chalazion is a lump or cyst on the eyelid (usually the upper eyelid). Secondary symptoms such as inflammation, redness, soreness, itchiness and discomfort are also present in both conditions.

In addition, both are caused initially by a blocked eyelash follicle or gland that has then become infected.

Stye & Chalazia Differences

Although both a stye and a chalazion can cause varying degrees of discomfort, styes are usually more painful than chalazia. In fact, most chalazia don’t cause the bearer any pain at all (although they can look unsightly to others).

A chalazion will usually last much longer than a stye. Whereas styes will heal within a few days to a few weeks, chalazia can linger for months or even years.

Stye or Chalazion?

If you’ve had a stye for 2 weeks or more and it is no longer causing you pain, it may have developed into a chalazion. Check out my article how to get rid of a chalazion and visit your doctor for further advice.

Occasionally a stye will not hurt too much, so if you’ve have a painless lump on your eyelid anywhere between a day and a week, chances are it is a stye and will be gone soon. Check out my articles on how to heal a stye and stye treatments for further info.

Finally, if you’ve had a stye for over two weeks and it is still causing you pain, you probably have a particularly stubborn stye and should read my article on how to cure a stye.

I hope you’ve found this useful and if you have any questions or queries, please leave a comment below

Danny