What causes styes and how are they best treated?!
Question:
What causes styes and how are they best treated?
Answers:
There are two different types of stye. What we most commonly call a stye is an infection at the base of an eyelash follicle (hordeolum is the medical term for this type). A stye can also refer to a small infected cyst in the eyelid itself (chalazion in doctor-speak) - this is caused by a blockage in a meibomian gland, rather like zits caused by a blockage in a sweat gland.
Frequent hot compresses are a good start (not too hot, and you don't actually need to compress!) - they often help clear the blockage. If the infection is severe, antibiotic ointment can be helpful; but about half of styes (particularly the chalazion type) do not resolve unless they are lanced and drained. This is a pretty easy thing to do under local anaesthetic - ophthalmologists (and some GPs) can usually do it in their rooms.