Styes

Overview

A stye is a red, painful lump on the edge of your eyelid, similar in appearance to a boil or a pimple. You may have more than one stye at a time, they may recur, and they may occur in succession. If the margin of your eyelid is inflamed (blepharitis), you may be predisposed to recurrent styes.

Usually, a stye is caused by a bacterial infection in the root (follicle) of an eyelash. Eventually, the infected lump in your eyelash follicle fills with pus and bursts. This will relieve the pain, and most of the time the stye will disappear after a few more days.

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