Skip to main content
  • An ophthalmologist and a patient talk in an exam room.

    Chalazia and Stye Treatment

    Reviewed By Odalys Mendoza, MD
    Published Nov. 06, 2020

    Here are ways to treat your stye or chalazion:

    Warm compresses

    Soak a clean washcloth in hot water and hold it to your eyelid for 10–15 minutes at a time, 3–5 times a day. Keep the cloth warm by soaking it in hot water often. For a chalazion, this warm compress helps the clogged oil gland to open and drain. You can help the gland clear itself by gently massaging around the area with your clean finger.

    Antibiotics

    Your ophthalmologist may prescribe an antibiotic for an infected stye.

    Steroid shots

    If your chalazion is very swollen, your ophthalmologist may give you a steroid shot (cortisone) to reduce the swelling.

    Surgery to drain the area

    If your stye or chalazion affects vision or does not go away, you may need to have it drained. This surgery is usually done in the doctor’s office using local anesthesia.

    If a stye or chalazion keeps coming back time after time, your ophthalmologist may biopsy it. This is where a tiny piece of tissue is removed and studied. This helps your ophthalmologist check to see if there is a more serious eye problem.

    Do not squeeze or try to pop a stye or chalazion

    Doing so could spread the infection into your eyelid. Do not wear eye makeup or contact lenses while you have a stye or chalazion.