If you are awaiting an appointment to see a doctor because of a stye, there are a few things you can do at home to keep you comfortable while you wait. A stye is caused by a bacterial infection, and can be very painful. In addition to eye pain, a stye can cause a white or yellowish bump on your eyelid or inside your eye, as well as redness, tearing, and itching.

While home remedies can help promote symptomatic relief, they will not alleviate the infection that caused the stye. Here are some remedies you can try at home for stye relief while you wait for your eye appointment. 

Tea Bag

To use a tea bag for your stye, place the bag in a cup of warm water for a minute or so, then squeeze out the excess liquid. After making sure that the tea bag is not too hot, gently place it over the closed affected eye. Not only will the tea bag soothe your irritated eye, the tannin in the tea has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties that will help promote healing.

Make sure you keep the used tea bag away from your unaffected eye. If your unaffected eye makes contact with the used tea bag, it may also become infected. While tea bags can help your eye feel better, they are no substitute for your eye infection treatment from you eye doctor. 

Warm Compress

Like tea bags, warm compresses soothe irritated eyes. To use a warm compress, get a clean washcloth and place it under warm water. Squeeze out the excess liquid and fold the washcloth into a small square.

You can then place it over the affected eye until the cloth cools. Repeat the process a few times each day; the more you apply the compresses, the better you will feel. Moist heat enhances circulation and optimal blood flow to the eye and may help relieve redness and inflammation.

Sometimes a stye contains clear fluid, and with continued use of the warm compresses, the stye may break, releasing the fluid, and easing your pain. If pus drains out of your stye, however, be sure to see your eye doctor as soon as possible.

If you develop a stye, make an appointment with your doctor right away. The bacteria from your infected eye can spread to your other eye or even other parts of your body if not treated. You can get more information about styes from your eye doctor; with the proper treatment, your stye and its irritating symptoms will start to resolve in about a week or so.