Are Styes Contagious? A Complete Guide to Prevention and Care

You wake up one morning, look in the mirror, and notice a red, tender lump on your eyelid. It looks almost like a pimple and hurts when you blink. Before you cancel your plans and start worrying about it getting transferred to others, know that it does not spread. 

But that does not mean you should ignore it. Understanding what a stye is, why it forms, are styes contagious and how to treat and prevent it makes a genuine difference to how quickly it heals and whether it keeps coming back.

What Is Stye?

A stye is a painful lump near the edge of the eyelid that may look like a pimple. Styes are often caused by bacterial infections and may be filled with pus. A stye usually forms on the outside of your eyelid, but sometimes it can form on the inner part of your eyelid.

For most people this condition is painful and gets worse when they blink. In some cases, the entire eyelid can feel swollen and heavy.

There are two types of styes like:

• External stye: the most common type, forming on the outer edge of the lid near the lashes, caused by infection in a tiny oil gland in an eyelash follicle
• Internal stye: forms on the inside of the eyelid due to infection in a gland that produces oils to keep the eyelids moist

Both types cause discomfort, but internal styes tend to feel more pressure-like and can take slightly longer to resolve on their own.

Are eye Styes Contagious?

Some people think that they will get stye if they come in contact with a person who has it but it’s not true, because it does not spread. 

Eye styes themselves are not contagious. Styes are not typically contagious in the same way as viral infections like pink eye. However, because bacteria cause them, certain precautions should be taken to prevent potential transmission.

Which means:

• You do not need to isolate yourself or avoid others
• You do not need to wear sunglasses indoors to hide it from family members
• You should, however, be careful about shared items 

What Causes a Stye?

Symptoms of stye

Common symptoms of stye are:

• A red, swollen lump on the upper or lower eyelid
• Tenderness or pain when blinking or touching the area
• A feeling of something in the eye like a grain of sand
• Watering or tearing of the affected eye
• Light sensitivity, particularly in brighter environments
• Discharge or crusting around the eyelid, especially after sleep
• In some cases, a yellowish head forming on the bump similar to a pimple

A stye is a bacterial infection involving one or more of the small glands near the base of your eyelashes. It is similar to a boil or a pimple and is often painful.

Most styes affect one eye at a time and resolve on their own within one to two weeks.

How to Treat a Stye at Home

In most cases, a stye will begin to disappear on its own in a couple of days. You may be able to relieve the pain or discomfort of a stye by applying a warm washcloth to your eyelid.

Step-by-step home treatment include:

Warm compress 

• Apply a warm, damp cloth to the affected eyelid for 10 to 15 minutes
• Do this 3 to 4 times a day to help open the blocked gland and encourage drainage
• Use a clean cloth each time, never reuse the same one without washing it
• The warmth softens the blockage and encourages the stye to drain naturally

Gentle eyelid cleansing

• Gently wash the affected eyelid with mild soap and water
• Use a single, gentle sweep working away from the eye
• Baby shampoo diluted in warm water is a mild which can be effective to use

What to avoid when having a stye

• Do not try to pop the stye or squeeze the pus from it because it can cause the infection to spread
• Avoid wearing eye makeup until the stye has fully healed
• Contact lenses can be contaminated with bacteria associated with a stye so try to go without them until it resolves
• Do not share eye drops, makeup brushes, or towels with others while you have a stye

Medical Treatment for stye

Most styes can be treated with warm compresses and will go away in a few days. But there are some cases where medical treatment becomes necessary.

Medical treatment options your doctor may recommend:

• Antibiotic eye drops or ointment: prescribed when the infection is not responding to warm compresses alone
• Oral antibiotics: for more severe infections, especially if the stye does not respond to topical treatments
• Steroid injection: used to reduce significant swelling and inflammation
• Surgical drainage: if a stye does not clear up, a healthcare professional may make a small cut in it to drain the pus, performed under local anaesthesia with minimal discomfort

When to See a Doctor

See a doctor promptly if you notice:

• The redness and swelling spreading beyond the eyelid to the cheek or other facial areas
• Vision becoming blurry or affected in any way
• Fever developing alongside the eyelid infection
• The stye has not shown any improvement after two weeks of home care
• Multiple styes appearing at the same time or in quick succession
• Significant pain that is not relieved by over-the-counter pain medication

Final Thoughts

A stye is one of those conditions that looks worse than it is. The red, swollen bump on your eyelid is uncomfortable and painful but for most people, it resolves with consistent warm compresses and careful hygiene within a week or two.

Good eye hygiene is not something most people think about until something goes wrong. A stye is a reminder that your eye hygiene is bad, so don't panic and try to resolve it by following good hygiene practices. 

Final thoughts

References

1. Cleveland Clinic (Stye (Hordeolum): Causes, Symptoms, Treatment)

2. CorneaCare (Are Eye Styes Contagious?)

3. Healthline (Are Styes Contagious? Causes, Prevention, and More)

4. WebMD (Styes: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, Prevention)