Patient handout

Blepharitis, hordeolum (stye), and chalazion

PRODUCTION

1. Your condition

This handout is for blepharitis, hordeolum (stye), and chalazion. Your care team identified this based on: chronic lid-margin crusting / scurf / burning / itching with foamy tears or red lid margins — anterior + posterior blepharitis (aao ppp blepharitis 2023).

Other reasons your team may use this plan: cylindrical waxy collarettes encircling the lash base on slit-lamp — diagnostic for demodex blepharitis (saturn-1 pmid 35965392; saturn-2 pmid 37285925); acutely tender, red, focal lid swelling with pointing pustule — external (gland-of-zeis) or internal (meibomian-gland) hordeolum / stye; painless firm nodular lid lump persisting beyond acute phase — chalazion (sterile lipogranulomatous meibomian-gland obstruction).

2. Your medications

Take these medications exactly as prescribed. Do not stop or change a dose without talking to your provider.

Medication	Starting dose	How	When	What it does
warm_compress_5_to_10_min_QID	—	—	—	AAO PPP Blepharitis 2023 — warm compress softens meibum and inspissated material; foundation for blepharitis + stye + chalazion.
lid_hygiene_scrub_or_dilute_baby_shampoo	—	—	—	AAO PPP Blepharitis 2023 — daily lid-margin cleaning reduces bacterial / lipase burden and scurf.
omega_3_for_mgd	—	—	—	AAO PPP Blepharitis 2023 — conditional benefit for evaporative MGD; DREAM trial neutral but TFOS DEWS II retains conditional support.

Plan: Blepharitis + stye + chalazion — combined outpatient ladder (AAO PPP 2023 + SATURN trials)

3. When to call your provider

Contact your care team if any of the following happen:

Orbital extension (proptosis + motility restriction + pain on eye movement + decreased vision + fever) → ophtho.orbital-cellulitis.core.v1 same-day
Preseptal cellulitis (lid swelling alone) → ophtho.preseptal-cellulitis.core.v1
Recurrent same-site chalazion in older adult → oculoplastics biopsy for sebaceous carcinoma
Suspected BCC / SCC / pigmented atypical lid lesion → oculoplastics biopsy

4. When to seek emergency care

Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room right away if you have:

Lid swelling + proptosis + pain on eye movement + ophthalmoplegia + decreased vision + fever(life-threatening)
Recurrent same-site chalazion in older adult + madarosis / distorted lid / induration / atypical features
Patient pregnant / breastfeeding / under age 8 considered for oral doxycycline

5. Follow-up

Chronic-disease maintenance for blepharitis-MGD: lifelong lid hygiene + warm compress + omega-3; episodic flare control. Counsel patients that blepharitis is a chronic condition; reinforce daily routine. Co-manage rosacea / atopic / seborrhoeic skin disease via derm engines. Co-manage evaporative DED via ophtho.dry-eye-disease.core.v1. Repeat biopsy threshold for any recurrent atypical lesion (AAO PPP Blepharitis 2023).

6. Sources

Guideline: AAO Preferred Practice Pattern Blepharitis 2023 cycle + SATURN-1 (Yeu et al, Cornea 2022, PMID 35965392) + SATURN-2 (Gaddie et al, Ophthalmology 2023, PMID 37285925) + pooled SATURN-1/-2 (Yeu et al, Ophthalmol Ther 2025, PMID 39873946)