Stye

As soon as a stye appears, you can apply warm compresses to the eyelid to promote drainage and natural disinfection. Avoid wearing contact lenses and eye make-up until the stye has completely healed. Keep the area clean, but don't try to pierce or squeeze the stye yourself.

We recommend consulting a doctor if the stye does not improve after a few days of home care, if it becomes very painful or red, or if it is accompanied by fever, headaches or blurred vision. A medical consultation will enable us to assess whether local antibiotic treatment or other care is necessary to avoid any complications.

To treat a resistant stye, the doctor may prescribe local antibiotics in the form of ointment, eye drops or swallowable tablets. In some cases, the stye may be incised and drained to remove pus and promote healing. Corticosteroids may also be used to reduce inflammation. Treatment will be tailored to the severity of the infection.

Antibiotics are not systematically required to treat a minor stye that responds well to basic care such as warm compresses. However, if the stye worsens, becomes purulent or spreads, local antibiotic treatment will be prescribed by the doctor to eliminate the underlying bacterial infection. Oral antibiotics may also be required in more severe cases.

Piercing, squeezing or trying to open a stye yourself is strongly discouraged, as it can aggravate the infection and spread it to surrounding tissue. Moreover, squeezing a stye can lead to the formation of a recurrent cyst or unsightly scar on the eyelid. Leave it to the doctor to drain the stye sterile if necessary.

With simple home treatment using warm compresses, a benign stye can take from 3 to 10 days to resolve and heal completely. However, if antibiotic treatment or drainage is required, healing may take 2 to 4 weeks, depending on the severity of the initial infection. Medical follow-up is recommended to ensure complete elimination of the stye.

If a stye is not treated properly, the infection can spread deep into the eyelid tissue, forming a more severe and painful internal stye. In extreme, untreated cases, the infection may even reach the eye socket, requiring emergency surgery to avoid serious complications such as blindness.

To prevent styes from recurring, it's essential to adopt good ocular hygiene on a daily basis, by carefully cleaning the eye contour and eyelid margins. Remove all make-up before bedtime and avoid irritating cosmetics. If you are prone to recurrent styes, your doctor may prescribe oral or topical antibiotics.

In the vast majority of cases, a stye will heal well with appropriate medical treatment, without the need for surgery. However, if the infection spreads to the eye socket despite treatment, or if a recurrent stye forms a very large cyst or chalazion, minor surgery may be considered to drain and remove the lesion.

Book an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible if your stye doesn't improve after a few days of home care, if it becomes very painful, red and purulent, or if it's accompanied by fever or visual problems. Medical advice will determine whether antibiotic treatment is necessary to avoid complications.