A stye is an
inflammation of the sebaceous glands at the margin of the eyelid, also called a
hordeolum. These bump, in or around the edge of the eye lid may be painful
and/or annoying, but they are rarely serious.

Styes are caused by a bacterial
infection, usually the bacteria grows in the root (follicle) of the eyelash.

A stye usually starts as a red bump
at the edge of the eyelid. As the stye grows it becomes swollen and painful.
Most styes swell for about three days and then begin to drain. Sometimes the
inflammation and swelling may spread to the area around the eye.

Often, styes go away on their own
without treatment, but if it is starting to affect the surrounding area it is
best to start treatment.

Generally speaking, the sooner you
start treatment, the sooner the styes goes away, and you lessen the chance of
it turning into a chalazion, more on chalazions in a later blog.

So, what do you do for a stye? The
best thing for a stye is to apply warm compresses, and what is the best way to
apply heat? Stay tuned for next week’s blog!