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Medical Author:

Grant G. Gilliland, MD

Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Care is mainly provided to help relieve your symptoms and to hasten recovery.

• Warm compresses are usually recommended.
• Pain medicine, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), may be given or recommended.
• Antibiotics may be necessary.
• Topical antibiotics may be prescribed by your ophthalmologist.
• Occasionally, oral antibiotics are given to people either with styes that do not go away or with multiple styes as well as to those who have styes in addition to other conditions, such as blepharitis or rosacea.
• People who have rosacea along with a sty may require treatment of their cheeks with an antibiotic cream, an oral antibiotic, or both.
• Oral or IV antibiotics are usually given if the infection has spread.
• Your ophthalmologist may remove the pus from a large or painful sty by making a small cut and then draining the pus.

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