A stye — a small, painful lump on the eyelid — usually clears up by itself. The NHS says a stye should go away within a week, and suggests holding a clean flannel soaked in warm water against the eye for 5 to 10 minutes, 2 to 4 times a day. Don’t try to burst it or remove an eyelash yourself, and avoid contact lenses and eye make-up until it has healed. This sets out the NHS page “Stye”.
1. Warm flannel for 5 to 10 minutes, 2 to 4 times a day. It usually goes within a week.
2. Don’t burst it or pull out eyelashes. No lenses or eye make-up until it has burst and healed.
3. Very painful or swollen, affecting vision, or producing pus? Get seen urgently. Not better in a few weeks? See a GP.
How to tell it is a stye
- A small, painful lump on or inside the eyelid, or around the eye
- The skin around it may be swollen and red, and it may fill with yellow pus
- Usually one eye, but you can have more than one, and on both eyes
If the lump is hard but not very painful, the NHS says it is more likely to be a chalazion.
What to do at home — NHS
| What | What the NHS says | Worth noting (our gloss) |
|---|---|---|
| Warm compress | A clean flannel soaked in warm water against the eye for 5 to 10 minutes, 2 to 4 times a day | Warm, not hot |
| Painkillers | Paracetamol or ibuprofen — do not give aspirin to children under 16 | No aspirin for children |
| Lenses and make-up | Avoid contact lenses and eye make-up until the stye has burst and healed | Not just until it shrinks |
| Towels | Don’t share towels or flannels with someone who has a stye | Within the family too |
Paracetamol is the UK name; in Korea the same ingredient is usually called acetaminophen (our gloss).
What not to do
- Don’t try to burst a stye.
- Don’t remove an eyelash yourself.
When to get seen
| Situation | How urgent | Where the NHS points you |
|---|---|---|
| Not better within a few weeks | Non-urgent | GP |
| Very painful or swollen | Urgent | Urgent GP appointment or NHS 111 |
| Affects your vision | Urgent | Urgent GP appointment or NHS 111 |
| Eye producing pus | Urgent | Urgent GP appointment or NHS 111 |
A GP may burst the stye with a thin, sterilised needle, remove the eyelash closest to it, or refer you to an eye specialist. NHS 111 is the UK’s health advice line; the page says nothing about an equivalent in Korea (our reading).
Why styes happen, and how to lower the risk
The NHS says styes are often caused by bacteria infecting an eyelash follicle or eyelid gland, and you are more likely to get one with long-term blepharitis or rosacea. To lower the risk:
- Keep eyelids and eyelashes clean, especially with blepharitis
- Wash your face and remove eye make-up before bed
- Wash your hands before putting contact lenses in or taking them out
- Don’t share towels with someone who has a stye
How to wash your hands is in handwashing for 20 seconds.
Checklist
- ☐ Warm flannel for 5 to 10 minutes, 2 to 4 times a day
- ☐ Don’t burst it or pull out eyelashes
- ☐ No lenses or eye make-up until it has burst and healed
- ☐ Very painful, affecting vision or producing pus? Get seen urgently
- ☐ Remove eye make-up before bed; wash hands before touching lenses
Questions that remain
Do I need eye drops or antibiotics?
The NHS page read here does not cover eye drops or antibiotics, so we say nothing about them.
I wear coloured lenses — what then?
The NHS says to stop wearing lenses while you have a stye. Cautions on coloured lenses themselves are in Halloween coloured lenses.
Sources
- NHS — Stye — original (page last reviewed 18 April 2024, next review due 18 April 2027; checked 12 October 2026). Within a week, 5 to 10 minutes 2 to 4 times a day, don’t burst, lenses and make-up, no aspirin under 16, a few weeks, three urgent signs, chalazion, bacteria, blepharitis and rosacea, four prevention steps, what a GP may do.
- Not read. Korean agencies’ stye guidance; sources on eye drops or antibiotics.
- Added by us. The “worth noting” column and the paracetamol/acetaminophen naming note.
Where to check further
- A nearby clinic or eye clinic — opening hours and same-day appointments.
Written 12 October 2026. The content follows the NHS original; the glosses are ours.
