Chalazion vs stye: how to tell the difference, and what to do about each

Both appear as a lump on the eyelid, and one can turn into the other, so they are easy to confuse. Here is how to tell them apart.

Stye (hordeolum)

A stye is an acute infection — usually staphylococcal — of an eyelash follicle (external stye) or an oil gland inside the lid (internal stye). It comes on over a day or two, is red, tender and painful, and often forms a yellow head at the lash line. Most settle within one to two weeks.

Chalazion

A chalazion is a blocked meibomian (oil) gland. The trapped oil causes a sterile inflammatory reaction, producing a firm, round, usually painless lump a few millimetres from the lid edge. It grows slowly, can last weeks or months and is not an infection. A chalazion sometimes follows an internal stye once the infection has settled.

Quick comparison

Pain: stye usually painful; chalazion usually painless. Speed: stye develops over hours to days; chalazion over weeks. Position: stye often at the lash line; chalazion further back in the lid. Duration: stye one to two weeks; chalazion often four weeks or more.

Home treatment for both

Warm compresses for five to ten minutes, two to four times a day, followed by gentle massage towards the lid margin, and daily lid hygiene. Do not squeeze or pierce the lump. Antibiotic tablets are rarely needed unless redness is spreading across the lid. Treating underlying blepharitis reduces recurrence.

When removal makes sense

A chalazion that has not improved after four to six weeks of warm compresses, is large enough to press on the eye and blur vision, or keeps coming back can be treated with a short procedure under local anaesthetic — usually incision and curettage from the inside of the lid, so there is no visible scar. See stye and chalazion treatment and chalazion removal in London.

See a doctor promptly if an eyelid lump bleeds, crusts or ulcerates, causes eyelashes to fall out, keeps growing, distorts the lid, or comes back in the same place. Spreading redness and swelling of the whole lid, especially with fever or pain on moving the eye, needs urgent same-day care.

Seeing Ms Tahmina Pearsall

Ms Pearsall assesses and removes styes, chalazia and other eyelid lumps privately.

Ms Tahmina Pearsall is a consultant ophthalmic surgeon who qualified in 1993 and has more than 30 years of experience and over 50,000 procedures performed. She trained at Moorfields Eye Hospital, St Thomas' Hospital and Addenbrooke's Hospital, and sees private patients at multiple clinic locations, including Harley Street in London. Read her full credentials.

Ms Pearsall sees patients at Harley Street, London and other clinic locations. Patients travel from across the UK, including Brighton & Hove and Liverpool, and from Jersey and Guernsey and the Isle of Man.

The first telephone enquiry is free — arrange a free initial call to explain what happened and check whether a review is likely to help. A full clinical consultation with Ms Pearsall costs £250. Treatment prices are listed on the pricing page and confirmed in writing after examination.

This article is general information written for patients and does not replace an individual examination.