Question: "I love how you explain things. Can you break down what is a stye versus a chalazion in simple terms for me. I leave my doctor's office confused every time."

Love this question. Thank you for asking. There are styes. There are chalazion. Many times, you'll see social media and doctors use these terms interchangeably. Sometimes they can be difficult to tell apart. Here is my super simplify. 

IN SIMPLE TERMS

STYE VERSUS CHALAZION - WHAT GLAND?

A STYE, aka hordeolum is a clogged eyelid gland (meibomian, Zeis or Moll) that has also become infected with bacteria. 

• • Meibomian Gland - secretes oil into the tears; located at the eyelid margin (where someone would waterline eyeliner)
•  
  • Gland of Zeis - secretes oil into the tears; located at the base of the eyelash
•  
  • Gland of Moll - secretes a specialized sweat for the eye area; located at the base of the eyelash

A CHALAZION, is a clogged eyelid gland (meibomian, Zeis or Moll) that has become clogged but in NOT infected with bacteria.

STYE VERSUS CHALAZION - WHAT TREATMENT?

An infected STYE usually needs 2 things: prescription medication & a cleansing routine.

The prescription medication includes oral antibiotics and/or antibiotic eye drops. A traditional cleansing routine will be warm compress & baby shampoo. For my modern method, see STYE CLEANSING SYSTEM here.

A CHALAZION usually just needs a cleansing routine. Warm compress & baby shampoo would be the traditional / old school method. See my method POSTERIOR BLEPHARITIS / MGD CLEANSING SYSTEM here.

CHALAZION VERSUS CHALAZIA

If you do a google search, you'll find both of these words. Chalazion refers to one clogged eyelid gland. Chalazia referes to more than one clogged eyelid gland. 

STUBBORN STYE / CHALAZION

A stubborn stye or chalazion doesn't respond to traditional warm compresses & baby shampoo. This is pretty common and you are not alone!

In general, it's been lingering longer than 4 weeks. Around this time, the body starts to heal itself and the bump tends to get more firm and the debris more difficult to drain.

RECURRENT STYE / CHALAZION

If a patient has had 2 or more total stye and/or chalazion flare ups in their LIFETIME, I put them into the "recurrent" category. For this same reason, I take their 1st flare up VERY SERIOUSLY. This is because . . . if a patient is prone to stye or chalazion, I automatically assume Demodex mites is the cause until proven otherwise. Here, I also look for Demodex on eyelashes, check for acne rosacea, and check for ocular rosacea. In most cases the diagnosis is MGD, Meibomian Gland Dysfunction. 

INNIE VERSUS OUTTIE STYE

INNIE STYE

• Localized tenderness of the upper or lower eyelid
• A small bump you can feel rather than see
• A white-yellowish color dot when eyelid is flipped open for viewing

OUTTIE STYE

• Localized tenderness of the upper of lower eyelid
• A small bump you can see when looking at a mirror
• Localized lesion on the eyelid, usually near the margin

Daily Cleansing Tips for Stye & Chalazion

Do all the steps once a day before bedtime. Stye Cleansing System (for a stye) & MGD Cleansing System (for a chalazion) was designed over many years of trial and error with the help of hundreds of my patients. Be consistent. Be diligent. It takes work. It takes time.

YOU STILL CAN'T TELL THE DIFFERENCE

When in doubt, ask your optometrist. It's vital to know the difference because a STYE is an infection while a CHALAZION is not. Also there are other eye problems that can look like a STYE or CHALAZION. For example, a herpetic eye infection or eye allergy. Stop guessing and ask your optometrist!

• stye vs chalazion
• chalazion vs stye
• we love eyes
• difference between stye and chalazion
• what is a stye
• what is a chalazion
• hordeolum vs chalazion
• eyelid bump causes
• how to tell the difference between a stye and a chalazion
• optometrist explains stye vs chalazion
• simple explanation stye chalazion
• best treatment for stye vs chalazion
• why do I keep getting styes and chalazion