Stye In Children

Key points about styes

• a stye is a red tender lump on your child's eyelid
• it develops when a gland in your child's eyelid becomes blocked
• styes are common in tamariki (children)
• styes usually clear up on their own but can take up to 6 months for the lump to disappear
• you can use simple treatment at home for most styes

What causes a stye?

A stye develops when the small oil glands in your child's eyelid becomes blocked. This causes swelling and redness on the eyelid.

Symptoms of a stye

Symptoms of a stye in tamariki include:

• a lump on the eyelid
• red, sore, swollen eyelid
• tender swelling in the eyelid
• a watery eye

Managing a stye

The aim of treatment is to unblock the oil glands and keep your child's eyelids clean. This should help the swelling and redness go away.

Treatment includes warm compresses, eyelid massage and cleaning. You can do this at home. 

Styes usually heal in 6 weeks to 6 months. 

Warm compresses

Place a warm flannel on your child's closed eyelids for 10 minutes. Instead of a flannel you could use a warm wheat bag or a heated eye mask (usually available at pharmacies).

The temperature should be reasonably warm, around 40 degrees. Always test the temperature on the skin on the inside of your wrist first to make sure it's not too hot. 

Eyelid massage

After heating, massage your child's eyelids. Use the tip or side of your finger. Firmly push the skin of your child's eyelids close to their eyelashes. It shouldn't be painful. Massaging helps unblock the oil glands by melting the oil and squeezing it out. Do this twice a day until the stye goes away.

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The illustration shows the face of a young child with their eyes closed. A black circle highlights the child’s left eye. A dashed line leads to an enlarged circular close-up of the same eye.

In the close-up, the upper eyelid and lower eyelid close to the eyelash line, are shaded green. It has a label that reads: ‘Massage here’. The area indicated is just above and below the eyelashes on the closed eyelids.

At the top right is the KidsHealth logo with the website: kidshealth.org.nz

Eyelid cleaning

Make a solution using 1 part baby shampoo and 10 parts water. Dip a clean cotton bud in a small amount of the solution. Use it to clean away any crusts on the eyelashes. Rub along the eyelids. Use a clean cotton bud for each eyelid. Repeat this process twice a day. Pour a fresh amount of solution into a small container each time. 

If you follow these steps, most styes will get better.

Other self-care tips

• don't try to burst the stye yourself
• lubricating eye drops from the pharmacy may help the eyes to be more comfortable - this won't get rid of the stye
• avoid contact lenses until the stye has gone

When to get medical help for your child

See a health professional if you've followed the steps for treatment and:

• the stye doesn't go away or is causing distress
• your child's eyes become increasingly red or painful
• your child's sight becomes blurred