What causes styes to keep recurring every few days?

Stye usually refers to hordeolum or blepharitis. Frequently developing styes may be related to eye hygiene, prolonged use of contact lenses, and eye diseases.

1. Eye Hygiene

Failure to maintain proper eye cleanliness in daily life—such as rubbing the eyes with unclean handkerchiefs or towels—can allow dust, pathogens, and bacteria from the external environment to enter the eyes. This often leads to infections of the eyelid glands, resulting in recurrent symptoms. Treatment may include medications such as levofloxacin eye ointment, tobramycin eye ointment, or erythromycin eye ointment, used under a doctor's guidance.

2. Prolonged Use of Contact Lenses

Contact lenses cover the cornea and can easily harbor bacteria, so they should not be worn for extended periods. Continuously wearing lenses without proper cleaning significantly increases the risk of recurrent hordeolum. Under medical supervision, treatments may include oral penicillin tablets, methicillin tablets, or cloxacillin tablets.

3. Eye Diseases

If a patient already suffers from eye conditions such as trachoma or chronic conjunctivitis, their eye resistance is reduced, making it difficult to fight off bacterial infections. Bacteria may spread upward to the meibomian glands, causing repeated occurrences of styes. Treatments under a doctor’s direction may include pranoprofen eye drops, ribavirin eye drops, or sodium hyaluronate eye drops.

Frequent development of styes may also be associated with improper diet. Patients are advised to maintain good local hygiene, avoid rubbing their eyes with dirty hands, and ensure adequate sleep.