What Are the Causes of Eye Stye?

A stye is a painful red bump on the edge of your eyelid. Similar to an acne pimple, a stye forms when a tiny oil gland near your eyelashes becomes blocked and gets infected. Styes are very common, and in many cases, you can manage them at home. But some cases may require treatment by an eye care provider.

Causes

A stye is caused by an infection of oil glands in the eyelid. The bacterium staphylococcus is commonly responsible for most of these infections.

Types of Styes

There are two types of styes:

External stye. This is the most common type. It forms on the outer edge of your lid, near your lashes. It’s caused by infection in a tiny oil gland in an eyelash follicle.

Internal stye. These form on the inside of your eyelid. The cause is infection in a gland that produces oils to keep your eyelids moist.

What are the Symptoms of a Stye?

The main symptom of a stye is a painful red bump along your eyelid edge near your eyelashes. Other stye symptoms may include:

Swelling of your eyelid (sometimes your entire eyelid).
Discharge from your eye.
Crusting along your eyelid.
Light sensitivity.
Soreness and itching.
Eye tearing.
A scratchy feeling or a feeling that there’s something in your eye.

While there may be several different risk factors associated with the development of styes, some of the more common causes are improper contact lens handling, disinfecting, and wearing schedule. Not thoroughly washing the hands before touching a contact lens, for example, may result in styes…along with improperly cleaning and disinfecting contact lenses and/or overuse of contact lenses.

At the Whiting Clinic, we will speak with and evaluate you to determine if you’re a good candidate for LASIK. A positive outcome from a potential LASIK treatment means that you, as our patient, will enjoy clear vision for years and years (decades??) without the hassles and risks of dependence on contact lenses!

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Resources:

Painter, K. (2024, March 15). Styes: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, Prevention. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/styes-causes-symptoms-treatment-prevention

Stye. (2024, September 19). Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17658-stye

Stye (sty) – Symptoms & causes – Mayo Clinic. (2022, June 14). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sty/symptoms-causes/syc-20378017

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