Guide · lids
Stye or chalazion? What to do tonight
A lump on the eyelid is nearly always one of two things, both harmless, both fixable at home most of the time. Here’s how to tell them apart and what to do tonight.
Which is it
| Stye | Chalazion | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | At the lash line, on the edge | Further back in the lid, away from the edge |
| Feel | Painful, red, like a spot | Firm, round, usually not painful |
| Cause | A blocked, infected lash gland | A blocked oil (meibomian) gland |
| Time | Days | Weeks to months |
Tonight
A warm compress — a heat mask, or a flannel re-warmed every minute — for ten minutes, three times a day. Warmth softens the blockage and it drains. Don’t squeeze. Leave make-up off. For a stye, gently clean the lash line with a lid wipe.
See us if
It’s not better in a week · the whole lid is swollen, hot and red · vision is affected · it keeps coming back. A chalazion that won’t shift can be treated in the chair, and one that keeps returning nearly always means blocked oil glands generally — the same problem as dry eye, and treatable.
Why they keep coming back
The oil glands along the lid are blocking. Each chalazion is one gland giving up. Clearing the glands — the Dry Eye Assessment, then EyeClean — is how you stop the next one.
The three types of dry eye, and what we do for each
Most people are told “you’ve got dry eyes” and handed drops. But there are three different causes, and each needs something different. Most people have a mix.
Blocked oil glands: meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD)
About 8 in 10 people with dry eye have this. Along the edge of each eyelid are about 30 tiny glands that put a thin layer of oil on your tears. When they block, your tears dry up in seconds, however much water your eyes make. It feels gritty, burning and tired, often worse on screens or by evening. Drops help for an hour, because they don’t unblock the glands.
What we do: photograph your glands so you can see them, warm and clear them in clinic, clean the lid edge, and use IPL or light therapy where it helps. Then we give you a simple routine for home.
Not enough tears
Your eyes don’t make enough of the watery part of tears. This is more common with age, some medicines, the menopause, and conditions like Sjögren’s.
What we do: measure your tear level, choose the right drops for you, and use tiny plugs to keep your own tears in where they help. We’ll write to your GP if something needs checking.
Inflamed eyelids: blepharitis, often with tiny mites called Demodex
Crusty, itchy, red lid edges, often worse in the morning.
What we do: deep-clean the lid edge in clinic, treat the mites, and show you how to keep the lids clean at home.
Not sure which one you have? That’s what the assessment is for. We look at your glands, tears and lids, and tell you which type, or which mix.
The short version
- Painful, at the lash line: stye. Firm, further back: chalazion
- Warm compress ten minutes, three times a day; don’t squeeze
- Not better in a week, or the whole lid swollen: see us
- Keeps recurring: blocked oil glands, which we treat