Occasionally, it can result in a loss of the eyelashes, scarring of the lid margins, and even damage to the cornea. Usually, treatment consists of keeping the eyelids clean, perhaps by washing them with baby shampoo. Occasionally, a doctor may prescribe an antibiotic ointment, such as erythromycin or sulfacetamide, or an oral antibiotic, such as tetracycline. When the person's skin is also affected with seborrheic dermatitis, the face and scalp must be treated as well. An abscess forms and tends to rupture, releasing a small amount of pus.
Styes sometimes form simultaneously with or as a result of blepharitis.
A person may have one or two styes in a lifetime, but some people develop them repeatedly. A stye usually begins with redness, tenderness, and pain at the edge of the eyelid. Then a small, round, tender, swollen area forms. The eye may water, become sensitive to bright light, and feel as though something is in it. Usually, only a small area of the lid is swollen, but sometimes the entire lid swells.