A stye (or hordeolum) is an acute, localized infection or inflammation of the apocrine or sebaceous glands of the eyelid. Styes are usually caused by a staphylococcal infection and can be external (more common) or internal.

The stye is very large, severe, or has an atypical appearance. There is a gradual deterioration of vision. The diagnosis is uncertain. If there are typical clinical features of a stye: Reassure the person that styes are usually self-limiting and rarely cause serious complications.

Scenario: Management: Covers the primary care management of styes. The content on the NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries site (CKS) is the copyright of Clarity Informatics Limited (trading as Agilio Software Primary Care) .

Look for typical signs of styes. An external stye presents as a tender, inflamed swelling of the eyelid margin, usually around an eyelash follicle. The swelling may point anteriorly through the skin.

The content on the NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries site (CKS) is the copyright of Clarity Informatics Limited (trading as Agilio Software Primary Care). By using CKS, you agree to the licence set out in the CKS End User Licence Agreement.

Complications of a stye include: Infective conjunctivitis — infection of the eyelid margin can spread, leading to inflammation of the conjunctiva. See the CKS topic on Conjunctivitis - infective for more information.

A stye (or hordeolum) is an acute, localized infection or inflammation of the apocrine or sebaceous glands of the eyelid. They are usually caused by a staphylococcal infection and can be external (more common) or internal.

Differential diagnoses of styes include: Blepharitis — a chronic inflammatory condition affecting the eyelid margin. Chronic blepharitis is a risk factor for styes. See the CKS topic on Blepharitis for more information. Benign eyelid cysts, such as:

Differential diagnoses include styes, sebaceous cysts, and eyelid cancer. Signs and symptoms of a serious underlying condition include: A firm, warm, tender, erythematous, oedematous eyelid associated with severe pain, blurred/double vision, limited and painful eye movements, headache, fever, and malaise — suggestive of associated orbital ...

Therefore, CKS recommends emergency (same-day) referral to an ophthalmologist or A&E department for all people with signs and symptoms of periorbital or orbital cellulitis. CT (computed tomography) scanning of the face or orbits may be useful to exclude orbital cellulitis [ BMJ, 2023 ].