How are styes and chalazia treated?

It is important not to squeeze or try to pop a chalazion or stye. This may spread the infection into the surrounding eyelid tissue.

Symptoms of a stye or chalazion are treated with one or more of the following methods:

• Warm compresses. Warm compresses help to clear the clogged gland. Soak a clean washcloth in hot water and apply the cloth to the lid for 10 to 15 minutes, three to five times a day until the stye or chalazion is gone. You should repeatedly soak the cloth in hot water to keep it warm. The warm compress should allow the clogged gland to open and drain white or yellow discharge. If the gland opens, gently massage around the stye, or chalazion, to help it drain.
• Antibiotic ointments. An antibiotic ointment may be prescribed if bacteria infect the stye or chalazion.
• Steroid injections. A steroid (cortisone) injection is sometimes used to reduce inflammation of a chalazion.
• Surgical removal. If a large stye or chalazion does not respond to other treatments or affects vision, your ophthalmologist (Eye M.D.) may drain it surgically. The procedure is usually performed under local anesthesia in your ophthalmologist’s office.

Chalazia and styes usually respond well to treatment, although some people tend to have them recur. If a chalazion comes back in the same place, your ophthalmologist may suggest a biopsy (where a tiny piece of tissue is surgically removed and studied) to rule out more serious problems.

Don’t wear eye makeup or contact lenses until after the stye or chalazion heals.