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	{{Short description\|Swelling of the eyelid due to infection of an oil gland}}		{{Short description\|Swelling of the eyelid due to infection of an oil gland}}
	{{About\|the ~~swelling~~ of an ~~eyelid~~\|the enclosure for raising pigs\|Sty\|other uses\|Sty (disambiguation)}}		{{About\|swelling of the eyelid due to infection of an oil gland\|the similar-looking uninfected condition\|Chalazion\|the enclosure for raising pigs\|Sty\|other uses\|Sty (disambiguation)}}
	{{Infobox medical condition (new)		{{Infobox medical condition (new)
	\| name = Stye		\| name = Stye

imported>Odusseys: /* Alternative medicine */

2025-01-06T11:59:30Z

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{{Short description|Swelling of the eyelid due to infection of an oil gland}}
{{About|the swelling of an eyelid|the enclosure for raising pigs|Sty|other uses|Sty (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox medical condition (new)
| name = Stye
| synonyms = Sty, hordeolum<ref name=Pub2016/>
| image = Stye02.jpg
| caption = An external stye on the upper eyelid
| field = [[Ophthalmology]], [[optometry]]
| pronounce = Stye {{IPAc-en|s|t|aɪ}}, hordeolum {{IPAc-en|h|ɔːr|ˈ|d|iː|ə|l|ə|m}}
| symptoms = Red tender bump at the edge of the eyelid<ref name=Pub2016/>
| complications =
| onset = Any age<ref name=Fer2016/>
| duration = Few days or weeks<ref name=Lind2017/>
| types =
| causes = [[bacterial infection]] by ''[[Staphylococcus aureus]]''<ref name=Lind2017/>
| risks =
| diagnosis =
| differential = [[Chalazion]]<ref name=NIH2010/>
| prevention =
| treatment = [[Warm compresses]], [[antibiotic]] eye ointment<ref name=AFP2015/><ref name=EM2013/>
| medication =
| prognosis =
| frequency =
| deaths =
}}

A '''stye''', also known as a '''hordeolum''', is a bacterial infection of an [[oil gland]] in the [[eyelid]].<ref name=NIH2010>{{cite web|title=Eyelid Disorders Chalazion & Stye|url=https://nei.nih.gov/faqs/eyelid-disorders-chalazion-stye|website=NEI|access-date=14 October 2016|date=4 May 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018231753/https://nei.nih.gov/faqs/eyelid-disorders-chalazion-stye|archive-date=18 October 2016}}</ref> This results in a red tender bump at the edge of the eyelid.<ref name=Pub2016>{{cite web|title=Hordeolum (Stye)|url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMHT0024863/|website=PubMed Health|access-date=14 October 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170908184822/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMHT0024863/|archive-date=8 September 2017}}</ref><ref name=AFP2015>{{cite journal|last1=Carlisle|first1=RT|last2=Digiovanni|first2=J|title=Differential Diagnosis of the Swollen Red Eyelid.|journal=American Family Physician|date=15 July 2015|volume=92|issue=2|pages=106–12|pmid=26176369}}</ref> The outside or the inside of the eyelid can be affected.<ref name=Lind2017/>


The cause of a stye is usually a [[bacterial infection]] by ''[[Staphylococcus aureus]]''.<ref name=Lind2017>{{cite journal |vauthors=Lindsley K, Nichols JJ, Dickersin K |title=Non-surgical interventions for acute internal hordeolum |journal=Cochrane Database Syst Rev | volume=1| pages=CD007742 |date=2017 |issue=1 | pmid=28068454 |doi=10.1002/14651858.CD007742.pub4 | pmc=5370090}}</ref><ref name=EM2013>{{cite journal|last1=Deibel|first1=JP|last2=Cowling|first2=K|title=Ocular inflammation and infection.|journal=Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America|date=May 2013|volume=31|issue=2|pages=387–97|pmid=23601478|doi=10.1016/j.emc.2013.01.006}}</ref> Internal styes are due to infection of the [[meibomian gland]] while external styes are due to an infection of the [[gland of Zeis]].<ref name=AFP2015/> A [[chalazion]] on the other hand is a blocked meibomian gland without infection.<ref name=NIH2010/> A chalazion is typically in the middle of the eyelid and not painful.<ref name=AFP2015/>


Often a stye will go away without any specific treatment in a few days or weeks.<ref name=Lind2017/> Recommendations to speed improvement include [[warm compresses]].<ref name=AFP2015/> Occasionally [[antibiotic]] eye ointment may be recommended.<ref name=EM2013/> While these measures are often recommended, there is little evidence for use in internal styes.<ref name=Lind2017/> The frequency at which styes occur is unclear, though they may occur at any age.<ref name=Fer2016>{{cite book|last1=Ferri|first1=Fred F.|title=Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2017: 5 Books in 1|date=2016|publisher=Elsevier Health Sciences|isbn=9780323448383|page=1219|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rRhCDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA1219|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018212146/https://books.google.ca/books?id=rRhCDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA1219|archive-date=2016-10-18}}</ref>

==Signs and symptoms==
[[File:StyeUpper2017.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Stye of the upper eyelid]]
[[File:External hordeolum.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|8-year-old boy with an external hordeolum of lower lid]]
The first sign of a stye is a small, yellowish spot at the center of the bump that develops as [[pus]] and expands in the area.<ref name="Med">{{cite news |url=http://www.medicinenet.com/sty/article.htm#tocc |title=What are the signs and symptoms of a sty? |newspaper=Medicinenet |access-date=2010-04-06 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100407042355/http://www.medicinenet.com/sty/article.htm#tocc |archive-date=2010-04-07 }}</ref>

Other stye symptoms may include:
* A lump on the top or bottom [[eyelid]]
* Localized swelling of the eyelid
* Localized [[pain]]
* Redness
* Tenderness
* Crusting of the eyelid margins
* Burning in the eye
* Droopiness of the eyelid
* Scratchy sensation on the [[human eyeball|eyeball]] (itching)
* [[Blurred vision]]
* Mucous discharge in the eye
* Irritation of the eye<ref name="eMed">{{cite web|url=http://www.emedicinehealth.com/sty/page3_em.htm|title=Stye Symptoms|access-date=2010-04-06|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100406032634/http://www.emedicinehealth.com/sty/page3_em.htm|archive-date=2010-04-06}}</ref>
* Light sensitivity
* Tearing
* Discomfort during blinking<ref name="MayoCli">{{cite web|url=http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sty/DS00257/DSECTION=symptoms|title=Symptoms|access-date=2010-04-06|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100307022459/http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sty/DS00257/DSECTION%3Dsymptoms|archive-date=2010-03-07}}</ref>
* Sensation of a foreign body in the eye

===Complications===
[[File:Internal stye.jpg|thumb|Internal stye of upper eyelid]]
Stye complications occur in very rare cases. However, the most frequent complication of styes is progression to a [[chalazion]] that causes cosmetic deformity, corneal irritation, and often requires surgical removal.<ref name="Medicine E">{{cite web |url=http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/798940-followup |title=Hordeolum and Stye: Follow-up |access-date=2010-04-06 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100409110728/http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/798940-followup |archive-date=2010-04-09 }}</ref> Complications may also arise from the improper surgical lancing, and mainly consist of disruption of lash growth, lid deformity or lid [[fistula]]. Large styes may interfere with one's vision.

Eyelid [[cellulitis]] is another potential complication of eye styes, which is a generalized infection of the eyelid. Progression of a stye to a systemic infection (spreading throughout the body) is extremely rare, and only a few instances of such spread have been recorded.<ref name="MedicineNet2">{{cite web |url=http://www.medicinenet.com/sty/page2.htm#tocf |title=What is the prognosis (outcome) of a sty? |access-date=2010-04-06 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100412081320/http://www.medicinenet.com/sty/page2.htm#tocf |archive-date=2010-04-12 }}</ref>

==Cause==
A stye is caused by a bacterial infection. The bacteria are ''[[Staphylococcus aureus]]'' in about 95% of cases.<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459349/|title=NIH - StatPearls - Stye|chapter=Stye|year=2021|publisher=StatPearls|pmid=29083787 |last1=Willmann |first1=D. |last2=Guier |first2=C. P. |last3=Patel |first3=B. C. |last4=Melanson |first4=S. W. }}</ref> The infection leads to the blocking of an [[oil gland]] at the base of the [[eyelash]]. Styes are experienced by people of all ages. Styes can be triggered by [[poor nutrition]], [[sleep deprivation]], lack of hygiene, lack of water, and rubbing of the eyes. Styes can be secondary to [[blepharitis]] or a deficiency in [[immunoglobulin]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Diseases of the Human Body|last1=Tamparo|first1=Carol|last2=Lewis|first2=Marcia|publisher=F.A Davis Company|year=2011|isbn=978-0-8036-2505-1|location=Philadelphia, PA|pages=504}}</ref>

==Prevention==
Stye prevention is closely related to proper hygiene. Proper [[hand washing]] can reduce the risks of developing not only styes, but also many other types of infections.

Upon awakening, application of a warm washcloth to the eyelids for one to two minutes may be beneficial in decreasing the occurrence of styes by liquefying the contents of the [[oil glands]] of the eyelid and thereby preventing blockage.<ref name="MedicineHealthE">{{cite web |url=http://www.emedicinehealth.com/sty/page13_em.htm#sty_prevention |title=Prevention |access-date=2010-04-06 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100410064556/http://www.emedicinehealth.com/sty/page13_em.htm#sty_prevention |archive-date=2010-04-10 }}</ref>

To prevent styes, cosmetics and cosmetic eye tools should not be shared among people. Like with all infections, regular hand washing is essential, and the eyes should not be rubbed or touched with unclean hands. Contaminated eye makeup should be discarded and sharing of washcloths or face towels should be curtailed, to avoid spreading the infection between individuals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.visionweb.com/content/consumers/dev_consumerarticles.jsp?RID=34|title=VisionWeb|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909005133/http://www.visionweb.com/content/consumers/dev_consumerarticles.jsp?RID=34|archive-date=September 9, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/ask_the_doctor/styes.shtml|title=BBC - Health - Ask the doctor - Styes|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100201125007/http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/ask_the_doctor/styes.shtml|archive-date=February 1, 2010}}</ref> Breaking the stye may spread bacteria contained in the pus and should be avoided.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/news/external/2018/08/30/12/24/health-tip-treat-your-sty|title=Merck Manual - Treat Your Sty|access-date=2020-07-19|archive-date=2020-07-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200719144949/https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/news/external/2018/08/30/12/24/health-tip-treat-your-sty|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Treatment==
Most cases of styes resolve on their own within one to two weeks, without professional care.<ref name=Lind2017/> The primary treatment is application of warm compresses.{{medcn|date=November 2022}} As a part of self-care at home, people may cleanse the affected eyelid with tap water or with a mild, nonirritating [[soap]] or [[shampoo]] (such as baby shampoo) to help clean crusted discharge. Cleansing must be done gently and while the eyes are closed to prevent eye injuries.<ref name="MediHealth">{{cite web |url=http://www.emedicinehealth.com/sty/page8_em.htm#Medical%20Treatment |title=Medical Treatment |access-date=2010-04-06 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100411054952/http://www.emedicinehealth.com/sty/page8_em.htm#Medical%20Treatment |archive-date=2010-04-11 }}</ref>

People with styes should avoid eye makeup (e.g., eyeliner), lotions, and wearing contact lenses, since these can aggravate and spread the infection (sometimes to the cornea).<ref name=merck_quick_facts>{{cite web|url=https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/quick-facts-eye-disorders/eyelid-and-tearing-disorders/chalazion-and-stye-hordeolum?query=stye|title=Merck Manual - Chalazion and Stye (Hordeolum)}}</ref> People are advised not to lance the stye themselves, as serious infection can occur.<ref name=merck_quick_facts/> Pain relievers such as [[acetaminophen]] may be used.

===Antibiotics===
Evidence to support the use of [[antibiotic]] eye ointment is poor.<ref name=EM2013/> Occasionally [[erythromycin]] ophthalmic ointment is recommended.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.emedicine.com/oph/TOPIC606.HTM|title=Medscape: Medscape Access|website=Emedicine.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080804164715/http://www.emedicine.com/oph/topic606.htm|archive-date=2008-08-04|date=2018-11-19}}</ref> Other antibiotics, such as [[chloramphenicol]] or [[amoxicillin]] may also be used.<ref>[http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic415.htm eMedicine - Periorbital Infections : Article by R Gentry Wilkerson, MD.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070403202017/http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic415.htm |date=2007-04-03 }}</ref> Chloramphenicol is used successfully in many parts of the world, but contains a [[black box warning]] in the United States due to concerns about [[aplastic anemia]], which on rare occasions can be fatal.

Antibiotics are normally given to people with multiple styes or with styes that do not seem to heal, and to people who have [[blepharitis]] or [[rosacea]].

===Procedures===
Incision and drainage is performed if resolution does not begin in the next 48 hours after warm compresses are started. Medical professionals will sometimes lance a particularly persistent or irritating stye with a needle to accelerate its draining.<ref>[http://www.medicinenet.com/sty/page2.htm#tocf Sty (Stye, Hordeolum) Causes, Infection Symptoms and Treatment by MedicineNet.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070520090900/http://www.medicinenet.com/sty/page2.htm |date=2007-05-20 }}</ref>

Surgery is the last resort in stye treatment. Styes that do not respond to any type of therapies are usually surgically removed. Stye surgery is performed by an ophthalmologist, and generally under local anesthesia. The procedure consists of making a small incision on the inner or outer surface of the eyelid, depending if the stye is pointing externally or not. After the incision is made, the pus is drained out of the gland, and very small [[Surgical suture|sutures]] are used to close the lesion. Sometimes the removed stye is sent for a [[Histopathology|histopathological examination]] to investigate possibility of skin cancer.

===Alternative medicine===
A 2017 Cochrane review found low-certainty and low-quality evidence that [[acupuncture]] helps in hordeolum compared with antibiotics or warm compresses.<ref name="KCheng">{{cite journal |vauthors=Cheng K, Law A, Guo M, Wieldand LS, Shen X, Lao L |title= Acupuncture for acute hordeolum |journal=Cochrane Database Syst Rev |volume=2|pages= CD011075 |date=2017 |issue= 9 |pmid= 28181687|doi= 10.1002/14651858.CD011075.pub2 |pmc=5378315}}</ref> as well as that acupuncture plus conventional treatment may yield improvement, though they could not rule out placebo or observer effect, since the studies reviewed either had no positive control, were not blinded, or both.<ref name=KCheng/>

==Prognosis==
Although styes are harmless in most cases and complications are very rare, styes often recur. They do not cause intraocular damage, meaning they do not affect the eye. Styes normally heal on their own by rupturing within a few days to a week causing the relief of symptoms, but if one does not improve or it worsens within two weeks, a doctor's opinion should be sought. Few people require surgery as part of stye treatment. With adequate treatment, styes tend to heal quickly and without complications.

The prognosis is better if one does not attempt to squeeze or puncture the stye, as infection may spread to adjacent tissues. Also, patients are recommended to call a doctor if they encounter problems with vision, the eyelid bump becomes very painful, the stye bleeds or reoccurs, or the eyelid or eyes becomes red.<ref name="MedLine">{{cite web |url=https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001009.htm |title=Eyelid bump |access-date=2010-04-06 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100410062140/http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001009.htm |archive-date=2010-04-10 }}</ref>

==Etymology==
The word ''stye'' (first recorded in the 17th century) is probably a [[back-formation]] from ''styany'' (first recorded in the 15th century),<ref>sty, n.4: {{OED|sty}}</ref> which in turn comes from ''styan'' plus ''eye'',<ref>{{OED|styan}}</ref> the former of which in turn comes from the old English ''stīġend'', meaning "riser", from the verb ''stīgan'', "to rise". The older form ''styan'' is still used in Ulster Scots today.

The homonym ''sty'' found in the combination ''pigsty'' has a slightly different origin, namely it comes from the Old English ''stiġ-fearh''—''fearh'' (farrow) is the Old English word for "piglet"—where ''stiġ'' meant "hall" (cf. ''steward''), possibly an early Old Norse loanword, which could be cognate with the word ''stīgan'' above.<ref>sty, n.3: {{OED|sty}}</ref>

The synonymous late Latin expression is ''hordeolum'', a modulation of the word ''hordeolus'', which is related to ''hordeum'' ("barley"), after its resemblance to a [[barley|barleycorn]]. In Czech, a sty is called ''ječné zrno'' (from ''ječmen'' "barley" and ''zrno'' "seed or grain"); in German, it is called ''Gerstenkorn'' (barleycorn). In Hebrew it is called שעורה Seh-oh-Ráh ("barley"). In Polish it is called ''jęczmień'' ("barley"). In Hungarian it is called ''árpa'' ("barley"). In Turkish it is called ''arpacık'' (small barley, barleylet)

==See also==
* [[Boil]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Wiktionary}}
{{Commons category}}
* [https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/quick-facts-eye-disorders/eyelid-and-tearing-disorders/chalazion-and-stye-hordeolum?query=stye Merck Manual]
* {{cite book|chapter-url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459349/|title=NIH - StatPearls - Stye|chapter=Stye|year=2021|publisher=StatPearls|pmid=29083787 |last1=Willmann |first1=D. |last2=Guier |first2=C. P. |last3=Patel |first3=B. C. |last4=Melanson |first4=S. W. }}

{{Medical resources
| DiseasesDB = 12583
| ICD10 = {{ICD10|H|00|0|h|00}}
| ICD9 = {{ICD9|373.11}}
| ICDO =
| OMIM =
| MedlinePlus = 001009
| eMedicineSubj = emerg
| eMedicineTopic = 755
| MeshID = D006726
}}

{{Eye pathology}}

[[Category:Disorders of eyelid, lacrimal system and orbit]]
[[Category:Eye]]
[[Category:Wikipedia medicine articles ready to translate]]
[[Category:Wikipedia neurology articles ready to translate]]

Stye - Revision history

imported>A person of sorts at 03:45, 24 December 2025

imported>The Anome: better hatnote

imported>Odusseys: /* Alternative medicine */