Styes normally heal on their own by rupturing within a few days to a week causing the relief of symptoms, but if it does not improve or it worsens within two weeks, a doctors opinion should be sought. Few people require surgery as part of stye treatment. With adequate treatment, styes tend to heal quickly and without complications. The prognosis is better if one does not attempt to squeeze or puncture the stye, as infection may spread to adjacent tissues. Also, patients are recommended to call a doctor if they encounter problems with vision, the eyelid bump becomes very painful, the stye bleeds or reoccurs, or the eyelid or eyes becomes red. Etymology
The word stye  (first recorded in the 17th century) is probably a back-formation from styany (first recorded in the 15th century), which in turn comes from styan plus eye, the former of which in turn comes from the old English stīġend, meaning "riser", from the verb stīgan, "to rise". The older form styan is still used in Ulster Scots today. The homonym sty found in the combination pigsty has a slightly different origin, namely it comes from the Old English stiġ-fearh—fearh (farrow) is the Old English word for "piglet"—where stiġ meant "hall" (cf. steward), possibly an early Old Norse loanword, which could be cognate with the word stīgan above.The synonymous late Latin expression is hordeolum a modulation of the word hordeolus simply related to hordeum ("barley"), after its resemblance to a barleycorn.
Like with all infections, regular hand washing is essential, and the eyes should not be rubbed or touched with unclean hands. Contaminated eye makeup should be discarded and sharing of washcloths or face towels should be curtailed, to avoid spreading the infection between individuals. Breaking the stye may spread bacteria contained in the pus and should be avoided. Treatment
Most cases of styes resolve on their own within one to two weeks, without professional care. The primary treatment is application of warm compresses. As a part of self-care at home, people may cleanse the affected eyelid with tap water or with a mild, nonirritating soap or shampoo (such as baby shampoo) to help clean crusted discharge. Cleansing must be done gently and while the eyes are closed to prevent eye injuries.People with styes should avoid eye makeup (e.g., eyeliner), lotions, and wearing contact lenses, since these can aggravate and spread the infection (sometimes to the cornea). People are advised not to lance the stye themselves, as serious infection can occur. Pain relievers such as acetaminophen may be used. Antibiotics
Evidence to support the use of antibiotic eye ointment is poor. Occasionally erythromycin ophthalmic ointment is recommended. Other antibiotics, such as chloramphenicol or amoxicillin may also be used. Chloramphenicol is used successfully in many parts of the world, but contains a black box warning in the United States due to concerns about aplastic anemia, which on rare occasions can be fatal.