When to Seek Medical Care

Sometimes, complications may occur from a seemingly innocent problem. Immediately contact your ophthalmologist (a medical doctor who specializes in eye care and surgery) if any of the following problems occur:

• The eye is swollen shut.



• Redness appears around the entire eye.



• You have any change or disturbance in your vision.



• Swelling lasts for more than three weeks.



• The stye or styes come back or bleed.



• Your eyelashes fall out.



• The stye is on the bottom eyelid, near the nose.



• The white part of the eye becomes red.



• Pus or thick discharge continues to drain from the eye.



• You have a fever higher than 100.5 F.



• You have excessive persistent tearing.



• You have persistent redness of the surface of the eye.



• You have significant pain.



• The stye recurs, especially if the stye does so in the same location as a previous stye.



• You have swelling of the lymph nodes in your neck.



• You experience double vision.

You should go to your ophthalmologist for any of the above symptoms. If you are unable to be evaluated by your ophthalmologist, you should go to the hospital's emergency department if you experience any of the above problems.

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