Can you wear contacts with a stye?

Minor irritations can cause more than their share of trouble. Take, for instance, the stye. Small, relatively harmless, but looming enormous in your magnified mirror. And worst of all, it may be affecting your contact lens wear. Find out what causes styes, how to get rid of them, and whether you can (or should) wear contacts with a stye.

Understanding styes and contact lens wear

Because a stye can irritate your eye area and your contact lenses are, in short, on your eye, it’s understandable that the two might conflict. If you're wondering whether you can wear contacts with a stye, you should know that most health advisors recommend a temporary switch to glasses. But like swollen little snowflakes, no two styes are alike. That’s why we’re laying out some facts, so you make an informed decision about wearing contact lenses when you have a stye.

What is a stye?

A stye is an infected gland or hair follicle near your eye. It resembles a small red pimple and can appear on the upper or lower eyelash rim. Styes can cause pain, irritation, swelling, and tears (even without the onions).

Most styes are caused by the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. S. aureus, for short, is usually harmless thanks to our protective skin and mucous membranes. However, this tiny intruder is always searching for a way past our defenses, and if it reaches interior tissues, it quickly multiplies, causing inflammation.

Although styes are inconvenient — after all, who wants a red bump on their eyelid — they usually go away on their own within a couple of days. Of course, if your stye grows like Mount Vesuvius or shows no improvement after 48 hours, you should contact an eye care professional.

At-home care for a stye includes:

• Applying warm compresses to reduce inflammation and soothe the area
• Massaging the eyelid area gently (not the stye itself)
• Leaving it alone — that means no squeezing or rubbing
• Stopping eye makeup temporarily
• Washing towels, washcloths, and pillowcases daily to avoid reinfection
• Doing without your contact lenses for a few days — sigh

How to prevent styes?

Ok, your stye has come and gone, and you never want another one. Follow these tips to help maintain good eye hygiene and keep styes away.

• Cleanse your hands thoroughly and often. S. aureus is easily transmitted from person to person, and once it’s on your hands, it’s just one eye rub away from reaching its new home.
• Wash your hands before putting in your contacts. (We shouldn’t have to remind you — but, ya know, just in case.)
• Follow disinfecting guidelines and length of wear recommendations for your contact type, whether hard, multifocal, daily disposable, or rigid gas-permeable lenses.
• Practice good makeup hygiene. This means getting rid of expired makeup and keeping brushes, tools, and wands clean.
• Remove your makeup each night using specially designed eye wipes or other gentle methods.
• Don’t share towels, makeup, or pillows to avoid spreading infection.

But styes aren’t always the result of poor hygiene. Some health and skin conditions leave people more susceptible to styes. Chronic dry eye and blepharitis (an inflammatory condition of the eyelids) can contribute to frequent styes. If you have recurring styes, you must be extra diligent with eye hygiene. Eye wipes, either medicated or with moisturizing cleansers, can help keep pesky bacteria from hanging about your eye region.

Risks of wearing contacts with a stye

Suppose the unfortunate happens, and you find yourself with a stye. If you’re a contact lens wearer, it’s probably best to avoid wearing contacts with a stye. You don’t want to cause more eye irritation, worsen the infection, or spread the bacteria to your other eye. Switching to your glasses gives your eye time to heal, and with proper eye hygiene, helps prevent your stye from infecting other areas.

Contact lens wear guidelines with a stye

The best practice for styes is to return to glasses until your stye has healed. However, depending upon your job, vision requirements and other circumstances, you may feel you must wear your contacts with a stye. In that case, you should consider several factors, starting with the location.

Internal styes are found on the inner surface of the eyelids and most often result from an infection in the oil gland that helps lubricate the eye (fancy name: meibomian gland). Internal styes are more likely to be irritated by contact lens wear.

External styes are, as you guessed, on the exterior surface of the eyelid and are caused by infected eyelash follicles. These styes may not affect the comfort of your lenses. However, reinfection and transmission of a current infection to your other eye is still possible. Therefore, change your lenses after use if they’re disposable, and disinfect hard lenses each time you handle them.

Consultation with an eye care professional

If your stye is very painful, causes significant swelling, has remained the same, or has grown over 48 hours, it’s time to call a professional. They can often diagnose and treat your stye just by visual examination, either in the office or via a teleconference. In addition, your eye care professional can offer advice on whether you can continue to wear your contacts with a stye infection.

Because other eye conditions can masquerade as a stye, it’s best to talk to a professional if you note redness throughout the entire eye or excessive discharge. 

Styes: the condensed version

Styes, which look like small red bumps, are a common bacterial infection of the eyelid area. They may be painful to touch and cause excess tearing and eyelid swelling. Most styes disappear after a few days and can be helped with warm compresses and gentle massage.

Avoid eye makeup while your stye is ongoing, and consult with an eye care professional to discuss wearing contact lenses with a stye. To prevent styes, practice good eye hygiene and wash your hands frequently.

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FAQs

Can I wear contacts with a stye if it’s not causing discomfort?

It’s best to switch to glasses to give your eye time to heal if you have a stye. Think of it as a chance to sport a new sty(l)e! However, If you do wear contacts, use a new pair each time you remove and reinsert them to prevent reinfection. If you have hard lenses, disinfect them thoroughly with each encounter.

How long should I wait before wearing contacts again after a stye?

Once your stye has healed and you are symptom-free, you can wear your contact lenses again. Yay! Make sure you start with a brand-new pair of lenses and, if possible, a new case. If you want to keep using your old case, rinse carefully and refill with a sterile disinfecting solution. Also, wash all items that came in contact with your eyes to prevent a reinfection. That means pillowcases, towels, and that boujee silk sleep mask you wear.

Can I continue wearing contacts if I use antibiotic ointment for the stye?

It's best to avoid wearing your contacts until your treatment is completed and your stye is gone. Eye ointment can affect how the contact sits in your eye, and it may also cause blurriness. Give yourself time to heal, and you’ll be back to your trusty lenses in no time.