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Clean the stye. Apply a warm compress. Do not squeeze or try to pop the stye yourself. Use antibacterial cream. Try a natural home remedy. Use an over-the-counter painkiller. Go to a doctor.
Styes are generally caused by chance but can occasionally be caused by exposure of the eye to foreign substances (such as dust or makeup). The stye itself is a small bacterial infection. If you develop a stye, the first thing you should do is clean the area. Wash your hands thoroughly, then use a cotton ball or clean hands to gently cleanse the stye with warm water. You can also use a special eyelid scrub or diluted tear-free "baby" shampoo. Make certain that both your hands and the cotton balls you use to wash the stye are clean. Otherwise, you may transmit more debris or germs to the area. Styes are most commonly caused by staphylococcal bacteria that gets in a hair follicle or a gland in the corner of the eye, often through touching the eye with dirty hands. Other bacteria, however, can also cause styes. The painful swelling caused by a stye is best treated with warm compresses. Make a warm compress with a clean towel or other fabric dipped in warm water. Place the compress over your eye and let it rest there for five to ten minutes. After the compress cools, re-soak it with warm water and repeat for another five to ten minutes. Apply warm compresses three or four times a day. Be consistent about this treatment until the stye is gone. Warm (but not hot) and damp tea bags can also be used effectively as compresses. (Some people recommend chamomile tea bags, which may have soothing properties). The warmth of the compress may cause the stye to shrink or release pus. If this occurs, gently rinse away the drainage. Do not press or squeeze the stye; just apply firm but gentle pressure. Once the pus emerges from the stye, the symptoms should abate fairly quickly. It can be tempting to try to force any pus or debris out of the stye, but resist! Squeezing or attempting to pop a stye can make the situation much worse, spreading or deepening the infection, and may even cause scarring. Buy an over-the-counter antibacterial cream made for treating styes, available at any drug store. If you are unsure about which cream to choose, discuss the available options with the pharmacist. Apply a small dab on the stye, taking care not to get it inside your eye. These creams may help your stye heal faster. The local anesthetic many of these creams contain can also provide temporary relief from the discomfort caused by a stye. However, should it get in your eye, the anesthetic can also cause significant damage. Apply with extreme caution. If you do get any cream in your eye, flush it out gently with warm water. Then, contact your doctor. Do not use more often than indicated on the packaging. Certain natural substances may help heal styes and reduce pain and swelling. Avoid getting the natural remedies inside your eye, and if you feel stinging or discomfort, discontinue use immediately. Although not medically proven, you may wish to try these natural remedies for getting rid of styes: Use a coriander seed wash. Soak coriander seeds in water for an hour, strain the seeds, and use the water as a wash for your eye. The seeds are said to have properties that reduce the swelling of a stye. Use aloe. Aloe helps reduce swelling and redness. Cut an aloe leaf lengthwise and apply the pulpy inside to the affected area. If you can't find whole aloe leaves, you can use an eye pad soaked in aloe vera juice. Some people like to use a mix of aloe vera juice and chamomile tea. Use a guava leaf compress. This is a common home remedy to reduce pain and swelling caused by styes. Wet guava leaves in warm water and apply them to your eye for 10 minutes. Use potatoes. Grind a potato into paste and spread it on a clean, soft cloth. Then, apply it to the stye to decrease swelling. If your stye is extremely painful, use a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) to make you more comfortable during the first few days. Choose an NSAID containing aspirin or ibuprofen for immediate relief. Take only the recommended dosage listed on the packaging. Do not give aspirin to children under 18 years of age. Doing so could give them a fatal condition called Reye's syndrome. Seek treatment if your stye does not go away after one week. If you are in extreme pain, if redness or swelling spreads, or if your vision becomes affected, seek immediate medical attention. If a stye gets worse, this may be a result of another condition, and you may receive one of the following treatments: The doctor may prescribe antibiotic medicines, especially if you have bacterial conjunctivitis, commonly referred to as pinkeye. This condition is usually resolved quickly after antibiotics are administered. The doctor may insert a needle or fine-tipped blade into the stye to lance it. This involves puncturing the stye so that the pus drains out of a small hole and the stye goes away. If you have a skin condition such as rosacea or seborrhea, you might be susceptible to blepharitis, the inflammation of the rims of the eyelids. In this case your doctor will advise you to begin a new hygiene regimen for that area of your eye. If you don't already have an eye doctor, you can consult your primary care doctor and ask for a referral, check your local phone book under ophthalmologists, or search on the internet for "ophthalmologist" plus your city or area. You should feel free to contact a doctor at any point during this process. You do not need to wait a week before getting in touch with a professional.