Styes Specialist

What are styes?

Styes are cyst-like bumps around your eyelash line or inside your eyelid. A stye can be both embarrassing and uncomfortable. The two types of styes are: 

External hordeolum

The most common type of stye, an external hordeolum grows at the border of your eyelash. This type of stye usually develops because of a bacterial infection inside the hair follicle. External hordeolums often look like pimples.

Internal hordeolum

An internal hordeolum is a stye inside the eyelid. This kind of stye usually causes a prominent bulge in the eyelid rather than a pimple-like bump. Most styes of this type develop because of an infection in the meibomian gland, the oil-producing gland in your eyelids. 

While infections cause most styes, eyelid inflammation (blepharitis) can also lead to styes. 

What are the symptoms of a stye?

In addition to the bump or bulge, a stye can cause symptoms in the affected eye including:

• Tenderness or pain
• Swelling
• Tiny white or yellow dot in the center of the bump or lump
• Foreign body sensation in your eye
• Light sensitivity
• Eye scratchiness
• Crusting at your eyelash roots
• Eye watering

A stye can be quite uncomfortable, and it can significantly detract from your appearance. Both are good reasons to call Beverly Hills Eye Center for expert treatment as soon as you develop symptoms. 

How are styes treated?

Following an eye exam, Dr. Kamen provides individualized care for styes. Some common approaches include warm compresses and antibiotics. In some cases, you could need a minor in-office procedure to drain the stye safely. 

Until your stye heals, Dr. Kamen generally recommends wearing glasses rather than contacts. Also, avoid wearing eye makeup like eyeliner and mascara, as the makeup can worsen the stye or prevent healing. 

Although it might be tempting, it’s important that you never try to pop or drain the stye at home. Doing so can be extremely painful, and it dramatically increases the risk of worsening your infection. 

For recurrent styes, Dr. Kamen may biopsy or remove a small tissue sample from the stye to test it for abnormal cells. 

If you need to get rid of a stye fast, Beverly Hills Eye Center is here to help. Call the office or click on the provided scheduling link to arrange your appointment with Dr. Kamen now.