Stye and Chalazion Removal

A stye or chalazion is also known as an external hordeolum. Styes develop either because of a blockage or infection of the underlying gland (Meibomian gland ) in the eyelid.

Patients often describe the following stye symptoms:

• Localised discomfort or tenderness,
• A foreign-body sensation as if there is something in the eye,
• A bump on the eyelid,
• Redness and tenderness.

Often patients note that these lumps and bumps come and go with the original bump failing to completely settle. This leads some patients to present with recurrent infections and swellings, a history of recurrent chalazia.

Styes don’t usually affect your eyesight but they can occasionally do so if they become large.

Stye Removal Treatment

At Olelo, we would recommend that you contact us if your style fails to settle after 3 days, because chronic or recurrent styes are more difficult to treat often persisting after surgery. If you have recurrent styes, we can recommend treatments that will help you.

Early Stye Treatment

This treatment involves hot compresses and compression to remove the stye. At Olelo, we can conduct a video consultation, confirm the diagnosis and discuss early non surgical treatment in detail with you.

Stye Removal Surgery

The procedure to surgically remove styes is brief, taking as little as 15 minutes. Patients may be asked to stay at the clinic or healthcare facility after the surgery for a period of observation of up to half an hour or so after the procedure.

What to expect during the stye removal surgery:

1. Local anesthesia is applied to the skin and anaesthetic drops are applied to the eye.
2. A surgical clamp, called a chalazion clamp grips the eye. Its hoop-like openings surround the stye while the other part of the clamp provides support beneath the eyelid. The circular opening of the clamp exposes the inside aspect of the eyelid to control the bleeding during surgery.
3. A very fine blade is used to open the eyelid tissue over the area of the stye.
4. The curette scrapes the cyst and surfaces until all the contents of the stye have been removed. Occasionally, a sample of tissue is removed and sent to the laboratory for analysis.
5.  Heat to cauterise the wound is applied.
6. The doctor then removes the clamp and applies pressure over the site to control any bleeding.
7. Antibiotic ointment is applied to the affected area.
8. An eye pad is placed over the eye.
9. Drops and ointment are given for the patient to use at home.

Post Operative Care

We recommend that you keep the eye pad on for at least 6 hours after stye removal surgery. Discomfort is minimal and usually lasts less than 12 hours, so we recommend the patient takes regular Paracetamol but we do provide some stronger painkillers as well, just in case you need it.

We ask that the patient use drops for a month and ointment at night for the first week. The patient should also refrain from swimming for 10 days and hold off using contact lens use for 2 weeks. Normally, we plan to see the patient again in 2-8 weeks after the stye removal procedure.

Stye Removal Pricing

The cost of a consultation including examination is £75. This is included in the total price for the treatment, if delivered on the same day.

Same day procedures are only undertaken where the procedure is deemed appropriate to do so and the patient understands the full extent of the costs, risks and potential side effects. They are required to be consenting to proceed on that knowledge.