Every day, somebody wakes up to discover a painful, reddish lump in, on or around the edge of the eyelid. This very common malady may be small in size, but it can pack a powerful punch in terms of discomfort and self-consciousness.

Having to go about your day with a stye on your eye can impact everything from your vision to your ability to concentrate. Luckily, a stye on its own is not usually cause for alarm, and many will resolve with minimal care levels.

If you currently have a stye or you have had one in the past and want to learn more about how to get rid of them, this article is written just for you!

What Is a Stye? (Signs, Symptoms, Types, Diagnosis)

In most cases, a stye will be a very small lump or bump that is not that noticeable visually, even if it is very noticeable in other ways (such as with general pain and discomfort).

In this section, learn more about what a stye is, what causes it to form, warning signs and symptoms and how a stye is diagnosed.

Causes of a Stye

Most styes arise because a bacterium (usually staphylococcus) has come in contact with the eye and has infected one of the little oil ducts that line the eyelid. As the inflammation worsens, the bump gets bigger and redder and more painful to the touch.

In rarer cases, styes may form because of an underlying condition called blepharitis, which means infection/inflammation of the eyelid. Blepharitis is related to common skin conditions such as eczema and dandruff.

Signs & Symptoms of a Stye

The signs and symptoms of a developing stye are straightforward:

• Raised area on, around, in or near the eyelid (top or bottom).

• Pain and swelling.

• Redness.

• Itching.

• Watering in the eye.

• Inflammation or swelling of the eyelid area near the stye.

• Discomfort.

• Drainage from the stye (as it starts to heal).

Often patients describe a stye as looking somewhat like a pimple or a small boil (raised area filled with pus).

Types of Styes

There are different types of stye-like conditions. Some are painful and some are not. Here are the most common types of styes:

Stye

A small, red, painful lump on, in, around or near the eyelid.

Chalazion

A larger lump that forms inside the eyelid. Often these are larger than a traditional stye and often cause no pain. These can grow slowly and get quite big over time, which may require surgical removal.

Cyst

A hard lump that can form anywhere under the skin’s surface. It is usually benign and may not cause any pain.

Hordeolum

A small stye that occurs on the inside of the eyelid and has the same painful, red symptoms as a stye that forms on the outside of the eyelid.

How a Stye Is Diagnosed

A visual examination along with a description of symptoms is typically enough to diagnose a stye. If the lump is not painful, it may be diagnosed as a chalazion instead.

How Do You Get Rid of a Stye?

When you develop a stye on your eye, the most urgent thought on your mind is usually to get it treated and get rid of it. These effective methods can help you get rid of a stye as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Treatment 1: Apply a tea bag as a poultice.

A poultice is a mixture of beneficial materials, whether herbs or minerals or grains or other matter, that can draw out toxins and reduce healing time. One of the best easy-to-obtain poultices comes from your garden variety tea bag!

One of the best types of tea for healing a stye is green or white tea. The natural antioxidants in the green or white tea leaves will naturally draw out toxins. You can also use mint or dandelion, since all have anti-bacterial properties.

What to do: Steep the tea bag for one minute in very hot water. Remove the tea bag and let it cool just slightly, then place it over the affected eye for up to 10 minutes. You can do this a few times a day as needed to alleviate symptoms.

Treatment 2: Apply a grated potato poultice.

Another very effective poultice to reduce swelling, draw out toxins and ease pain is grated potato. The potato has astringent and anti-inflammatory properties that make it beneficial as a natural wound healing agent.

What to do: Just peel a raw potato and then grate some of the potato into a soft cloth. Hold over your eye for up to 10 minutes for relief of symptoms.

Treatment 3: Make a cucumber eye spa.

Cucumber may not seem like a robust healer, but it actually contains powerful anti-inflammatory agents, which is why it tends to be such a perennial favorite at health spas for reducing eye puffiness.

What to do: All you have to do here is slice out a rounds of a raw cucumber and place the round over your affected eye. The cucumber will go to work easing out the toxins and swelling and making your eye feel and look better quite quickly.

Treatment 4: Slather on some fresh aloe vera.

If you don’t have fresh aloe (such as in a plant form) nearby, you can use store bought aloe as well. But fresh is always best if you can get it. Aloe vera has been used for literally thousands of years to heal everything from cuts to constipation. Here, you will be harnessing aloe’s anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties, as well as its nourishing, hydrating and moisturizing nutrients, to help your eye heal fast.

What to do: Break off a stalk of an aloe vera plant. Open the stalk up so you can reach the clear gel inside. The best way to dab on the gel is by using a soft clean Q-tip. Make sure you don’t touch the Q-tip with your fingers or you could reintroduce the bacteria to your eye!

Treatment 5: Ease on a warm compress.

Warmth and hydration are two things your healing eye can really use. The warmth will help the stye open up and drain, releasing the toxins and bacteria so your eye can heal back up. And the hydration will nourish and irrigate your healing eye – a winning combination.

What to do: Find a soft, clean washcloth and heat some distilled water so it is lukewarm to warm. Dip the washcloth in the water. Squeeze out most of the extra water. Then lay down and gently lay the compress over the eye with the stye. You can leave it on until it becomes cool and then repeat if desired.

Treatment 6: Boil some spinach.

Boiled spinach can also make an excellent eye poultice. This is because it is packed full of Vitamin C, nature’s greatest healer, and other essential nutrients. Spinach also has lots of Vitamin K, a natural clotting agent that is known to help wounds heal faster.

What to do: Boil some spinach until it is dark green and limp to the touch. Make a poultice and apply it over the eye with the stye. You can leave it on up to 30 minutes. Do this three times a day to help the stye drain and heal faster.

Treatment 7: Avoid re-using old makeup, makeup remover and used contact lenses.

If you have ever had pink eye or any other type of eye infection, you already know that re-using old eye makeup, eye makeup remover or contact lenses is a definite no-no. This is because the bacteria that caused your infection can linger on and even multiply and cause a reinfection of your eye.

What to do: Go ahead and toss your old eye makeup and used contacts. You will want to avoid wearing eye makeup and contacts as much as possible until the stye heals anyway. And when your eye is healthy once more, you will want to start out fresh so you don’t get another stye.

Styes are common enough that most people will have to endure one at some point in life. So if you currently have a stye forming, you are definitely in good company. Because styes are so common, it is a great idea to get a better idea of the most effective treatments so you won’t have to endure as much discomfort waiting for a stye to resolve.

If you have questions after reading this article or would like to share your story or an effective remedy you recommend, we encourage you to post it in the comments section here so everyone can benefit!