Home treatment is all that is needed for most styes and internal hordeola, which are minor problems of the eyelid. If home treatment does not work, prescription medicines, such as eye ointments or eyedrops, may be needed. To learn the best way to use these medicines, see:

Eye problems: Using eyedrops and eye ointment.

Talk with a health professional if:

• A stye becomes very painful, grows larger quickly, or continues to drain (particularly if the drainage is pus).
• The redness and swelling around a stye spreads over the eyelid, inside the eyelid, or over the eyeball.
• You have vision problems.
• A stye does not begin to improve after 3 days of home treatment or does not heal in one week.

If the infection spreads to the eyelid or the eyeball, you may need oral antibiotics (pills).

A very large stye that does not go away with home treatment-or a chalazion that has grown big enough to interfere with vision-may need to be cut open (lanced) by a doctor so that it can drain and heal. You will need to use antibiotic eye ointment or eyedrops after this procedure.

Your doctor may advise you to wash your eyelid or along your eyelash line with a mild soap wash or a "no tears" shampoo (such as a baby shampoo) to reduce the chance of infection if you have recurring styes or signs of blepharitis. You can make a mild soap wash at home by mixing a nonirritating soap, such as baby shampoo, with an equal amount of warm water. Usually 2Tbsp of each is enough. Use a clean cloth or cotton ball dipped in this mild soap solution to gently wash the eyelid or along the eyelash line.