What Is a Stye?
A stye is a red bump on the outer edge of your eyelid. The redness and swelling can involve the entire eyelid or extend into your cheek or other parts of your face. The stye is filled with pus, produced when a clogged gland or follicle becomes infected. Styes rarely affect your eyeball or eyesight.
There are two types of stye (sty) or hordeolum:
- External styes – these are more common than internal styes. Most external styes start in an eyelash follicle. Occasionally, they start in a sebaceous gland. They’re located on the outside of the eyelid
- Internal hordeolum – mostly begin in an oil gland within your eyelid tissue (meibomian gland). They push on your eye as they grow. They tend to be more painful
What causes a Stye?
Styes are caused by bacterial infections in an oil gland or hair follicle on your upper or lower eyelid. These glands and follicles can get clogged with dead skin cells and other debris. This results in a swollen painful lump called a stye. Most styes are caused by bacteria such as Staphylococcus, which normally lives on your skin. Only when the bacteria are transferred to your eye and become trapped in a gland or hair follicle, do they cause an infection.
Touching or rubbing your eye is the most common way for bacteria to be transferred. Other risk factors that increase the risk of bacteria entering your eye include:
- Hay fever or allergies causing itchy eyes
- Inflammation of the eyelids (blepharitis)
- Using old mascara or eyeliner
- Not taking your makeup off at night
- Skin conditions, such as rosacea and seborrheic dermatitis
- Medical conditions, like diabetes
- Not cleaning your contact lenses, not taking your contacts out at night, not washing your hands before using your contacts or using expired contacts
- If you’ve previously had a stye
What are the symptoms of a Stye?
- Eyelid swelling
- Yellow discharge
- Light sensitivity
- Feeling like there’s something in the eye
- Watery or runny eye
- A crust that forms on the edge of the eyelid
How do I prevent a stye?
You can look after your eye health and lower your risk of getting a stye by:
- Not touching or rubbing your eyes
- Treat or relieve itchiness from hay fever or allergies
- Treat blepharitis, rosacea, and seborrheic dermatitis
- Keeping contacts clean
- Washing your hands with soap and warm water before using contact lenses
Styes are not contagious, but bacteria can be transferred through infected makeup. Do not share your eye makeup, especially mascara and eyeliner.
When should I see my doctor about my Stye?
Styes normally get better without medical treatment, but sometimes you may need to see a doctor if:
- Your stye doesn’t start to improve within a few days
- The drainage contains a lot of blood
- You have a rapid growth
- Have a painful or very swollen eyelid
An increase in swelling or new signs of infection could mean you’re developing a severe infection. See your doctor if your vision is affected or you develop swelling and redness around your eyes.
How is a stye treated?
Do not squeeze or pop a stye. This can spread the infection to the rest of your eyelid. Treatment options are:
- A warm compress made by soaking a washcloth in hot water. The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) recommends using a compress for 10 to 15 minutes three to four times a day
- Antibiotic ointment to apply to your eyelid or antibiotic eye drops
- An ophthalmologist may give you a steroid injection (cortisone) to reduce the swelling
- Baby shampoo or mild soap on a cotton swab to remove drainage and crusting
- Incision and drainage if the stye does not clear up. The material removed will be checked to make sure it is not a sebaceous carcinoma
Sometimes, if a stye doesn’t completely heal, your body blocks it off. This results in a lump on your eyelid called a chalazion. Unlike a stye, it’s caused by inflammation and not an infection.
Sources
Medical Disclaimer
NowPatient has taken all reasonable steps to ensure that all material is factually accurate, complete, and current. However, the knowledge and experience of a qualified healthcare professional should always be sought after instead of using the information on this page. Before taking any drug, you should always speak to your doctor or another qualified healthcare provider.
The information provided here about medications is subject to change and is not meant to include all uses, precautions, warnings, directions, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or negative effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a particular medication does not imply that the medication or medication combination is appropriate for all patients or for all possible purposes.
Can I Trust NowPatient
Our product and services are certified to international healthcare, medical device and data security standards
Medicines Experts
Meet our medical team
We are a broad skilled and passionate group of clinicians with experience of operating in health systems in the United Kingdom & United States. Providing excellent care and advice is at the heart of everything we do. You can read more about our medical team by visiting the medical team page or learn more about how we curate content by visiting our editorial process
WHY WE BUILT NOWPATIENT
We are committed to helping everyone, everywhere live healthier lives
The NowPatient virtual care platform provides you with access to trusted health information, affordable treatments, management of chronic health conditions and continuous monitoring for health risks. NowPatient can be accessed by downloading the App or using your web browser.
Download our app today
Your Questions Answered
For your peace of mind, we can answer your questions quickly
What does NowPatient do?
NowPatient is a digital health-technology platform functioning as both an online pharmacy and telehealth service. Packaged as a Class I software medical device, it’s accessible via web browser or mobile app (iOS and Android), and offers users worldwide on-demand access to virtual consultations, prescription services, and AI-powered health tools.
Ownership
The service is owned and operated by Infohealth Ltd, a licensed online pharmacy registered in England and Wales (company no. 04004930) with its registered office at Lynwood House, 373–375 Station Road, Harrow, England, HA1 2AW. Infohealth Ltd holds the necessary MHRA approvals for its pharmacy and telehealth offerings.
What It Does
- NHS Online Pharmacy: Order NHS-approved prescriptions (UK)
- Drug Savings: Access major US drug-savings programs (coupons, savings cards, manufacturer assistance, Canadian drug savings).
- Virtual Consultations: Get treated for a wide range of medical conditions by expert clinicians using a secure telehealth link.
- Medication Management: Set up refill & dose reminders, view private treatment plans, and track chronic conditions like diabetes or hypertension.
- Health-Monitoring Tools: Use AI-driven assessments for genetic risk tests, home test kits and blood-pressure monitoring.
- Wellness Insights: Access real-time pollen counts, air-quality data, BMI and type 2 diabetes risk scores, plus comprehensive health-condition information.
Get started today and benefit from Medication Reminders, Get Treated Privately, NHS Online Pharmacy, GP Appointment Booking, Rx Savings Card, Drug Coupons, US Drug Savings Programs, Health Conditions Information, Genetic Testing, Home Test Kits, BMI Risks, Type 2 Diabetes Risks, Pollen Meter, Air Quality Monitor, and lots more!
Our service is operated by experienced medical professionals in the United States and the United Kingdom.
You can view the online services we provide by clicking the link below:
Where is NowPatient located?
NowPatient has offices in the United Kingdom and United States.
In the UK, we are located at:
NowPatient
28 Chipstead Valley Road
Coulsdon
Surrey
CR52RA
In the US, we are located at:
NowPatient
8911 North Capital of Texas Highway
Suite 4200 #1263
78759
Austin, TX
How can I contact NowPatient?
To contact NowPatient, please use the contact form available on the Contact Us page.
Alternatively, if you need to speak to us, you can reach us on the following numbers:
UK telephone number – 020 388 51 500
US telephone number – 1-866-967-1977
Who owns NowPatient?
NowPatient is owned and operated by Infohealth Ltd, a licensed online pharmacy with services spanning the UK, US and Rest of the World. Infohealth Ltd is registered in England and Wales under company number 04004930 and our registered office is at Lynwood House, 373 – 375 Station Road, Harrow, England, HA1 2AW.
Our website is www.nowpatient.com. Our App is called “NowPatient” and can be downloaded from the App Store (for Apple devices) or Google Play (for Android devices).
Can you tell me more about your NHS online pharmacy?
NowPatient’s Pharmaceutical services in the UK are provided by Infohealth Limited trading as ‘Infohealth Pharmacy’.
Our dispensing pharmacy is regulated and authorized for internet sales by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), registration number 1036487. You can view our license credentials on the General Pharmaceutical Council website. Our superintendent pharmacist who is responsible for the safe and effective oversight of medicines supplies is Mr Amish Patel (Registration Number 2042705).
Medicines are not ordinary items of commerce. All medicines or healthcare product sales are made under the supervision of a registered pharmacist who is licensed by the GPhC. At all times, we endeavour to provide a professional and transparent service whose primary goal is to ensure that the best interests of the patient are served.
How do I make a complaint?
From time to time, we accept that our service levels may not be up to your expectations. NowPatient welcomes concerns, compliments and complaints as valuable feedback that will help us learn from your experiences and make improvements. Feedback can be provided via our clear and transparent Complaints Procedures.
Can you tell me more about NowPatient’s prescribing services for treatments offered?
Our prescribing services are regulated by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). We provide the following regulated activity:
• treatment of disease, disorder, or injury
• transport services, triage, and medical advice are provided remotely
• caring for adults over 65 years old
• caring for adults under 65 years old
NowPatient prescribing services are run by Infohealth Limited. The Clinical Safety Officer and nominated individual is Mr Navin Khosla.
Can you tell me more about NowPatient’s US services?
Our head of US services is Dr. Jamie Winn.
You can lower the cost of your prescription medications using our various savings programs which include drug coupons, savings card and manufacturer-sponsored patient assistance programs.
We do not provide any prescribing services or dispensing services in the United States.
Is NowPatient legit and can I trust information from NowPatient?
Yes. NowPatient provides trustworthy and accessible clinical, health education and prescription services. We are also trusted by the NHS to deliver clinical and NHS repeat prescription dispensing across the whole of England. In the United States, we work with over 65,000 pharmacies to deliver considerable costs savings for our users.
NowPatient is operated by experienced licensed medical professionals in the United Kingdom and United States. Our Medical Team can be found here.
Our service is trusted by thousands of patients worldwide. You can read their reviews on our Trustpilot:
What are NowPatient’s opening hours?
Our office hours are:
UK – Monday-Friday 9am-6pm GMT
US – Monday-Friday 8am-5pm EST
Please note that we are closed at weekends.
In the event of a medical life-threatening emergency please call:
UK – 999
US – 911
In the event of a medical emergency which is not life-threatening please call:
UK – 111