Stye (hordeolum)

For a lay person:

A stye is a small, painful, pus-filled lump on the edge of the eyelid caused by an infected eyelash follicle or oil gland. It is common at any age and usually bursts and heals on its own within one to two weeks.

For a trained medical person:

An acute staphylococcal infection of an eyelash follicle or associated gland (external hordeolum) or a meibomian gland (internal hordeolum); a non-infected, painless meibomian lump is a chalazion. Diagnosis is clinical. Management is warm compresses and lid hygiene; antibiotics are reserved for spreading cellulitis, and persistent lesions may need incision and drainage.

In Chinese medicine:

Liu and Tseng's textbook differentiates this condition into these patterns: Wind-Heat Toxins Attack (Before Pus Formation); Exuberant Fire Heat Accumulation (Pus Formation Period). Treatment follows the pattern a patient presents with, not the Western diagnosis alone.

When to get help: See a doctor if the swelling spreads across the eyelid or face, vision changes, the eye itself becomes red or painful, or a lump keeps returning in the same place. Do not squeeze or pierce a stye.