Stye vs Chalazion

Both are swelling of the eyelids, can be upper or lower eyelids.

Stye is an infection, usually caused by bacteria in the glands of the eyelids. Chalazion is a swelling caused by blockage at the gland’s opening, thus it is not an infection. They can arise when the eye hygiene is poor, with frequent rubbing the eyes with dirty hand, contact lenses and eye makeup etc. Stye can spread to other people while chalazion can’t.

Stye will show the signs of infection, such as marked redness, pain, swelling and sometimes pus discharge, typically with a yellow dot on red swelling. Chalazion presents as swelling and redness as well, sometimes with pain and it can grow larger than a stye. They both look similar, don’t they?

    Stye: markedly red, note a yellow dot

It is not easy to differentiate between the two. However, no matter what swelling it is, if it looks more likely to be infected, antibiotics will be given.

    Chalazion: larger but mildly red

Treatment for stye and chalazion are generally similar. Since stye is a bacterial infection, it is usually treated with antibiotic eyedrops/ointment. Both conditions can benefit from warm compresses by placing a warm and wet towel over the affected eyelid for 10-15 minutes every 4-6 hours. It is advisable not to break or pinch the swelling on your own.

Stye usually can heal in a week. Whereas for chalazion, it grows and heals slowly and sometimes it can last more than a month. If it can’t heal or get worse, minor surgery can be done to drain the swelling.

Thus,

Stye = infected eyelid swelling

Chalazion = non-infected eyelid swelling

However, it is a challenge to tell whether it is infected or not…