How to Get Rid of a Stye in Your Eye

Styes are inflamed boils or lumps either on the outside or, more rarely, on the inside of eyelids. They are caused by bacterial infections of either the oil or sweat glands near the eyelashes. Styes are often painful because of the pus contained inside them, but they should not cause any lasting harm so long as they are not disturbed. Still, there are measures and precautions that you can use to get rid of styes faster and prevent their recurrence if you are troubled by them.

Rest

• Perhaps the best method that you can use to get rid of a stye is to simply wait it out. Most styes clear up in a few days, even if you don't take any special measures to treat them. However, you should see a doctor if the stye persists. Take care that you do not carelessly cause damage to or even put pressure on the stye. Not only can this be painful, but a ruptured stye can also spread the bacteria and cause an infection in the affected eye. You should avoid using either makeup or contact lenses for the duration of your recovery.

Cleaning Routine

• You can speed up your recovery from your stye by adopting an appropriate daily cleaning routine. Make sure that your hands have been thoroughly cleaned before you start. Begin by wetting a clean towel with hot water, and then wipe it along your eyelids. You can use non-irritating cleansers such as baby shampoo if you want to be thorough, but take care not to irritate your eye and be sure to rinse properly if you do so. Keeping this routine up will also decrease your chances of getting another stye in the future.

Home Remedies

• Hot compresses are popular home remedies for treating styes. Take a clean towel and then soak it with hot water. Fold it up and place it against the affected area until the compress loses its heat to relieve the pain. To reuse it, simply soak the towel again. Doing this multiple times a day will help your stye drain on its own.

Medical Solutions

• If time and proper cleaning has not managed to get rid of your stye, it may be time to consult a doctor. Analgesics and antibiotics are commonly used to either relieve the pain of having a stye or to treat a particularly stubborn stye. Doctors can also decide to lance the stye in order to drain the pus, although this is something that should not be tried at home because proper cleaning is needed to ensure that the site does not become infected. In extreme cases, doctors may even surgically remove the stye.