Is there alternatives to surgery to stop recurring styes and chalazion?
JAN 19, 2024
Question:
I have had several eye episodes where my eye gets really irritated and then I develop a stye that seems to turn into a chalazion. I've already had surgery twice on the same eye. The surgery is painful and so are the flare-ups. Is there anything else I can do to avoid this seemingly interminable problem?
Answer:
Yes. Styes and chalazia are due to blockages of oil glands of the eyelids. Many patients who get repeated styes have a problem with these oil glands called blepharitis. There are a few different treatments that an ophthalmologist can offer to help prevent blepharitis, styes, and chalazia. As a baseline, a patient should start performing daily warm compresses with lid massage even if they don’t have an active stye or chalazion.
Antibiotics such as erythromycin or bacitracin are sometimes prescribed to kill the bacteria that can cause styes. Doxycycline and azithromycin are two additional antibiotics that help reduce swelling in the oil glands, which is one of the major causes leading to the formation of styes and chalazia.
This question was originally answered on Mar. 16, 2015.