What Are Styes? A stye is a red, painful bump on the eyelid, caused by a backed-up oil gland. Styes can appear on either the upper or lower eyelid, as well as ...[SkiptoContent]SharetoFacebookSharetoTwitterSharetoPinterestShareviaEmailKidsHealth/forParents/StyesStyesReviewedby:JonathanH.Salvin,MDLargertextsizeLargetextsizeRegulartextsizePrintenespañolOrzuelosAshealthproblemsgo,astyeisusuallyjustaminorannoyance.Ifyourchilddevelopsone,youcanprobablytreatitathome.WhatAreStyes?Astyeisared,painfulbumpontheeyelid,causedbyabacked-upoilgland.Styescanappearoneithertheupperorlowereyelid,aswellastheinsideortheoutsideoftheeyelid,neartheedgeoftheeyelidwheretheeyelashesare.WhyDoStyesHappen?Eyelidshavelotsofoilglands.Theymakeaspecialoilthatmixeswithtearstokeepeyeslubricated.Sometimes,theseglandscangetcloggedwitholdoil,deadskincells,andoldskinbacteria.Whenthishappens,liquidbuildsupinthecloggedglandandcan'tgetout.Theresultisalittlebumpontheupperorlowereyelidthatcanlooklikeapimple.Astyecanbecomeinfectedandgetveryredandswollen.HowAreStyesTreated?Ifyourchildhasastye,you'llwanttogettheclogged-upoiloutofit.Applyingheathelpstheoilbecomemoreliquid.Todothis,soakacleanwashclothinwarm(nothot!)water.Wringouttheexcesswater,thenplacethewashclothovertheeyeforafewminutes.Repeatthisseveraltimesaday.Youalsocancleantheeyelidwithspecialeye-scrubsoap(availableatdrugstores)orwithwatered-downbabyshampoo,whichisdesignedtonothurteyes.Soakacottonswabinthesolutionanduseittocleanyourchild'seyelid.Ifyourchildwearscontactlenses,havehimorherswitchtowearingglassesuntilthestyegoesaway.Cleanthecontactswellbeforeyourchildwearsthemagain.Ifyourchildhaspainintheeyeballorproblemsseeing,callyourdoctor.Alsocallifthereisanyswellingandrednessbeyondtheeyelid(intheeyeorotherpartsoftheface).WhatIftheStyeGetsWorse?Thestyeshouldbegintoimproveoverafewdays.Ifitdoesn'toritgetsworse,callyourdoctor.Thedoctormaygiveyouanantibioticcreamtouseonthestyeorprescribeantibiotics.Inrarecases,thedoctormightmakeatinycutintheeyelidtoletouttheclog