October 30, 2025 • 6 mins
Dr. Marc Grossman explains what a stye is and how it differs from a chalazion. He describes practical steps to calm pain, reduce swelling, and prevent recurrences. He also shares when antibiotics make sense, which natural tools can help, and how to protect long-term eyelid health.
- stye definition, signs, and typical course
- chalazion vs stye, key differences and timelines
- risk factors including hand hygiene, contact lenses, blepharitis, rosacea, dry eye
- symptom cues like tenderness, white head, lid location
- natural care with warm compresses and herbal compress blends
- lid hygiene using tea tree, hypochlorous acid, hyaluronic acid, aloe
- when to pause contacts and seek medical care
- resources and where to learn more
For more information, visit naturaleycare.com and drgrossman2020.com
Our email address is info@naturaleycare.com
If you have any questions, call us at 845 475 4158.
And if you don't already subscribe to this podcast, please subscribe and review us.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:04):
This is the Natural Eye Care Podcast, hosted by
leading holistic optometrist Dr.
Mark R.
Grossman.
Senior citizens are at thehighest risk of developing
macular degeneration, glaucoma,cataracts, dry eye, and more.
The Natural Eye Care Podcastprovides complementary and
natural approaches to visionproblems, eye health, and
(00:25):
overall health.
Find out how lifestyle, diet,and nutrition can help maintain
healthy vision and even improveeyesight.
Dr.
Grossman has degrees inoptometry, biology, physical
education, and learningdisabilities.
He is a New York State licensedacupuncturist.
With forty years of experience,he has co-authored the book
Natural Eye Care (00:46):
Your Guide to Healthy Vision and Healing.
Dr.
Grossman.
SPEAKER_00 (00:58):
Styes of the eye are inflammation or infections of an
eyelash follicle or one of themybobian glands that lie along
the eyelid edge.
Styes present as red painfullumps which can develop whitish
heads of a pus, like a littlepimple.
They are contagious but rarelyspread to other people.
(01:19):
Most people have one at sometime in their lives.
A sty is also called ahordiolum.
It is actually an abscess, alump filled with pus, which is
usually caused by a staphinfection.
Our skin is naturally coatedwith all sorts of bacteria.
They generally happily coexistwith us, but just the right
(01:42):
conditions and perhaps extracontamination from eye makeup or
outside contamination cancontribute to the development of
a sty.
Sometimes styes develop,especially in children, when we
rub our eyes with unwashedhands.
As I said, styes are the resultof a bacterial infection of the
(02:05):
mybobian glands or the glands ofzeiss and mole, gland supplying
oil to the eyelashes.
Staph infections are usually thecause.
This means that styes almostalways involve redness,
soreness, and localized swellingin the eye, which is not
typically the case with asalasium, which is an internal
(02:26):
sty underneath the eyelid.
Sty are tender and painful totouch.
Ordinarily they swell for aboutthree days and then they break
open and drain, and healingusually occurs within a week.
Salasiums are not caused byinfection.
Rather, they are caused by aforeign body cell reaction with
the oily sebum secreted by theMygobian glands.
(02:51):
Salasiums usually, but notalways, do not involve redness
soreness and swelling.
25% of salasiums show nosymptoms other than a visible
bump and they usually disappearwithout treatment.
But they can grow to abothersome size and even blur
vision because they distort theshape of the eye.
(03:12):
Schalasiums tend to take longerthan styles to resolve,
sometimes up to several months.
Some chalesiums, however, do actmore like styes, becoming red,
swollen, and tender.
In these cases, they're easilymistaken for styes.
To distinguish the two, styesdevelop closer to the edge of
(03:34):
the eyelid than a salasium.
Styes develop more rapidly andare smaller and are more
superficial than a salasium.
Styes almost always look like apimple.
Styes have a small white dot intheir center, signaling an
infection.
There are two types of styes.
External, this type of styemerges from the edge of the
(03:56):
eyelid at the base of theeyelash and can be filled with
pus and looks yellow and painfulwhen touched.
Or internal styes, swellingdevelops on the inside of the
eyelid.
Symptoms, the skin around theeye is tended to touch.
Increased eye watering due toirritation.
Sensitivity to light.
(04:18):
Causes.
Touching your eye withoutwashing your hands can spread
staph if you've rubbed yournose, inserted contact lenses
without washing your hands.
Chronic dry eye can createstyles.
Sometimes they're related toblepharitis, which is an
inflammation of the eyelid.
Rosacea, ocular rosacea, skincondition by facial redness is a
(04:41):
risk factor.
Sometimes we prescribeantibiotics.
Sometimes we do warm compresses.
We tell the patient not to wearcontact lenses.
But what can we do naturally tohelp with styes?
Let's talk about it.
On natural eye care, we have theeye E's formula, which is about
(05:02):
eight to ten different naturalantibacterial herbs that we make
a compress with and we make itwarm to put on the eye to help
decrease that sty.
Then we may use an eye mask thatyou heat up in the microwave or
the oven and you put it on theeye because warm compresses will
definitely help with styes tobreak it up.
(05:24):
In that eyes formula, you willsee certain herbs like burdock,
forensia, golden seal, andechinesia, and eyebrite.
Very, very helpful.
Then you might use a lid wipe.
There's many lid wipes outthere, many good companies make
them.
The one that we recommend isfrom Opte.
(05:45):
It has hyaluronic acid, tea treeoil, aloe in it.
But there are lots of good eyewipes.
Then there's lid hygienics,which is an eye scrub that you
can use.
And there's also another scrubcalled Avanova with hypochlorous
acid to help with any staphinfection that might be
(06:05):
occurring.
So there are natural things youcan do to help with styles.
So thank you for visiting us atnaturaley care.com to learn more
about your precious gift ofsight.
SPEAKER_01 (06:21):
For more information, visit
naturaleycare.com anddoctorgrossman2020.com.
Our email address is info atnaturaleycare.com.
If you have any questions, callus 845 475 4158.
And if you don't alreadysubscribe to this podcast,
(06:44):
please subscribe and review us.
This is the Natural Eye Care Podcast, hosted by
leading holistic optometrist Dr.
Mark R.
Grossman.
Senior citizens are at thehighest risk of developing
macular degeneration, glaucoma,cataracts, dry eye, and more.
The Natural Eye Care Podcastprovides complementary and
natural approaches to visionproblems, eye health, and
(00:25):
overall health.
Find out how lifestyle, diet,and nutrition can help maintain
healthy vision and even improveeyesight.
Dr.
Grossman has degrees inoptometry, biology, physical
education, and learningdisabilities.
He is a New York State licensedacupuncturist.
With forty years of experience,he has co-authored the book
Natural Eye Care (00:46):
Your Guide to Healthy Vision and Healing.
Dr.
Grossman.
SPEAKER_00 (00:58):
Styes of the eye are inflammation or infections of an
eyelash follicle or one of themybobian glands that lie along
the eyelid edge.
Styes present as red painfullumps which can develop whitish
heads of a pus, like a littlepimple.
They are contagious but rarelyspread to other people.
(01:19):
Most people have one at sometime in their lives.
A sty is also called ahordiolum.
It is actually an abscess, alump filled with pus, which is
usually caused by a staphinfection.
Our skin is naturally coatedwith all sorts of bacteria.
They generally happily coexistwith us, but just the right
(01:42):
conditions and perhaps extracontamination from eye makeup or
outside contamination cancontribute to the development of
a sty.
Sometimes styes develop,especially in children, when we
rub our eyes with unwashedhands.
As I said, styes are the resultof a bacterial infection of the
(02:05):
mybobian glands or the glands ofzeiss and mole, gland supplying
oil to the eyelashes.
Staph infections are usually thecause.
This means that styes almostalways involve redness,
soreness, and localized swellingin the eye, which is not
typically the case with asalasium, which is an internal
(02:26):
sty underneath the eyelid.
Sty are tender and painful totouch.
Ordinarily they swell for aboutthree days and then they break
open and drain, and healingusually occurs within a week.
Salasiums are not caused byinfection.
Rather, they are caused by aforeign body cell reaction with
the oily sebum secreted by theMygobian glands.
(02:51):
Salasiums usually, but notalways, do not involve redness
soreness and swelling.
25% of salasiums show nosymptoms other than a visible
bump and they usually disappearwithout treatment.
But they can grow to abothersome size and even blur
vision because they distort theshape of the eye.
(03:12):
Schalasiums tend to take longerthan styles to resolve,
sometimes up to several months.
Some chalesiums, however, do actmore like styes, becoming red,
swollen, and tender.
In these cases, they're easilymistaken for styes.
To distinguish the two, styesdevelop closer to the edge of
(03:34):
the eyelid than a salasium.
Styes develop more rapidly andare smaller and are more
superficial than a salasium.
Styes almost always look like apimple.
Styes have a small white dot intheir center, signaling an
infection.
There are two types of styes.
External, this type of styemerges from the edge of the
(03:56):
eyelid at the base of theeyelash and can be filled with
pus and looks yellow and painfulwhen touched.
Or internal styes, swellingdevelops on the inside of the
eyelid.
Symptoms, the skin around theeye is tended to touch.
Increased eye watering due toirritation.
Sensitivity to light.
(04:18):
Causes.
Touching your eye withoutwashing your hands can spread
staph if you've rubbed yournose, inserted contact lenses
without washing your hands.
Chronic dry eye can createstyles.
Sometimes they're related toblepharitis, which is an
inflammation of the eyelid.
Rosacea, ocular rosacea, skincondition by facial redness is a
(04:41):
risk factor.
Sometimes we prescribeantibiotics.
Sometimes we do warm compresses.
We tell the patient not to wearcontact lenses.
But what can we do naturally tohelp with styes?
Let's talk about it.
On natural eye care, we have theeye E's formula, which is about
(05:02):
eight to ten different naturalantibacterial herbs that we make
a compress with and we make itwarm to put on the eye to help
decrease that sty.
Then we may use an eye mask thatyou heat up in the microwave or
the oven and you put it on theeye because warm compresses will
definitely help with styes tobreak it up.
(05:24):
In that eyes formula, you willsee certain herbs like burdock,
forensia, golden seal, andechinesia, and eyebrite.
Very, very helpful.
Then you might use a lid wipe.
There's many lid wipes outthere, many good companies make
them.
The one that we recommend isfrom Opte.
(05:45):
It has hyaluronic acid, tea treeoil, aloe in it.
But there are lots of good eyewipes.
Then there's lid hygienics,which is an eye scrub that you
can use.
And there's also another scrubcalled Avanova with hypochlorous
acid to help with any staphinfection that might be
(06:05):
occurring.
So there are natural things youcan do to help with styles.
So thank you for visiting us atnaturaley care.com to learn more
about your precious gift ofsight.
SPEAKER_01 (06:21):
For more information, visit
naturaleycare.com anddoctorgrossman2020.com.
Our email address is info atnaturaleycare.com.
If you have any questions, callus 845 475 4158.
And if you don't alreadysubscribe to this podcast,
(06:44):
please subscribe and review us.
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.