Hey guys,

Since I started this website, earlier in the year, I’ve been emailed by many people asking ‘how do you get rid of a stye?’.

On this page, I’m going to explain to you all the different treatments that you use to get rid of styes, as well as an awesome method that can get rid of a stye within just two days (on average – sometimes it takes 3 days, sometimes only 1 day).

But before we go into the methods you can use to cure a stye, lets take a quick look at what styes are and what causes them.

What Are Styes?

Styes (also known hordeolums) are a tiny bump or lump (similar to a pimple) that develops on the eyelid. They are very common and almost everyone suffers from a stye at some time in their lives.

The area around the stye, including the eyelid, becomes red, sore and inflamed and feels tender, uncomfortable and often painful. It may feel as though there is something in your eye constantly.

Sometimes they have a yellow or head and sometimes they don’t (again, like pimples on the skin), however under no circumstances should you ever try to pop a stye (see why here).

There are two types of stye; external and internal.

External styes are the most common and form on the outside of the eyelid with the head pointing outwards. Internal styes form on the inside of the eyelid, with their head pointing inwards towards the eyeball.

In rare cases, an internal stye can develop into a chalazion. Like a stye, a chalazion is a lump or cyst on the eyelid but unlike a stye, it is doesn’t cause any inflammation, pain or discomfort. Chalazions also last much longer than styes, remaining on the eyelid for months or even years – you can find more info about chalazions and how to get rid of them here.

What Causes Styes?

A stye is caused when one of the glands in the eyelid becomes blocked and is infected with the S. aureus bacteria.

This bacteria usually lives naturally on the skin and inside the nasal cavity without causing any ill effects, however if it is opportunistic enough to get into the eyelid when there is a blockage, it will cause a stye.

Although everyone is susceptible to getting a stye, they are more common in infants with snotty noses (due to the transfer of bacteria from the nose to the eye when they wipe their noses) and people that suffer from Blepharitis (inflamed eyelids). People who have low standards of hygiene are also more vulnerable to developing an eye stye (but that does not mean that if you have a stye, you are unclean lol).

Technically styes are contagious but it is very difficult for one person to pass a stye onto another because it requires direct contact (and folk don’t often rub their eyes together!). You can read a full explanation of how contagious styes are here.

How Do You Get Rid of A Stye?

Most styes will heal on their own within around a week – your body’s immune system will usually be able to fight off the infection fairly easily.

You can fast-track your recovery and get rid of your stye within just a couple of days by using a warm compress.

A warm compress is simply a flannel or small towel that has been run under the hot water tap. The warm flannel / towel is then squeezed to remove excess water and held against the eyelid for between three and four minutes. This process should be repeated three or four times a day, and in most cases, the stye will vanish after two days. Click here to see my article that describes the full process of curing a stye, including diagrams (drawn by my own fair hand).

In the rare cases when this method doesn’t work, you can try alternative remedies such as Stye Eye Relief and StyeGone. OCuSOFT Eyelid Cleansing Pads are also reported to be useful for getting rid of styes.

If you have had a stye for over a week, you should visit your doctor who may be able to offer you further treatments.

This usually involves using antibacterial eye drops to kill the infection or surgery to remove the stye. Surgery is usually performed by an ophthalmologist (eye doctor) and is a relatively simple procedure under local anesthetic.

Finally, there is an old wives tale that says rubbing gold (such as a gold ring or pendant) on your stye periodically throughout the day will get rid of your stye within a day or two. There have been many reported successes using this method, however it has not been scientifically proven as a stye treatment.

So, now you know how you can get rid of a stye.

I hope you’ve found this useful and if I’ve helped you get rid of your stye, please leave me a comment below or drop me an email via styes@gesweb.co.uk

Danny