Hordeolum (stye)

What it is

A hordeolum is an acute inflammation, an infection, of the glands of the eyelid. Its etiology is a blocked gland with associated acute infection.

Which gland depends on which side of the lid:

• Internal hordeolum: the Meibomian gland. It is described as an infected chalazion.
• External hordeolum, the stye: the gland of Zeis or the gland of Moll.

On what kind of gland each one is, the two pages do not agree: the case notes call the gland of Zeis a modified sweat gland and the gland of Moll a modified sebaceous gland in the external lid, while the picture beside the chalazion calls the gland of Zeis the sebaceous one. What both agree on is which gland goes with which lid, and that is what to carry; do not hang an answer on the gland kind.

Causes and risk

The infectious agent is usually S. aureus.

How it presents

A painful, red swelling of the lid. The history is lid swelling; on examination there is redness and a pinpoint pustule.

The memory tip separates it from the one it is confused with: hordeolum hurts, it is acute and painful, while chalazion is chill, chronic and painless.