Swollen Eyelid: Causes, Home Care and When to Worry

Common causes of a swollen eyelid are a stye, a chalazion (a bump from a clogged oil gland), eye allergies and blepharitis (inflamed eyelid edges). A stye is an infection of an oil gland at the edge of the eyelid that makes the lid swollen, red and painful or tender, and warm compresses are the first thing to try. Call us at 310-828-2010 for a same-day visit if the lid is red, tender and getting worse, or if the redness spreads to your cheek or face. If the swelling comes with fever, pain when you move your eye, double vision, a bulging eye or decreased vision, call us and come straight in: those can be signs of orbital cellulitis, a serious infection inside the eye socket that needs immediate care. When we're closed, go to an emergency room.

Key takeaways

Eyelids often swell because of an infected or clogged oil gland (a stye or chalazion), an eye allergy or inflamed lid edges (blepharitis).
For a stye or chalazion, hold a heated eye mask on the closed lid several times a day and never squeeze or drain the bump.
Swelling with fever, pain moving the eye, double vision, a bulging eye or decreased vision means calling us and coming straight in, or an emergency room when we're closed.
Eyelid or face swelling with trouble breathing, wheezing, or swelling of the lips, tongue or throat can be a serious allergic reaction and means calling 911.

What causes a swollen eyelid?

A red, painful lump at the edge of the lid points to a stye, an infected oil gland, and a painless, slow-growing lump points to a chalazion. Itchy, puffy lids on both sides point more toward an allergy.

Cause	What you may notice	What helps
Stye	A red, swollen, painful lump on the edge or the inside of the eyelid	A heated eye mask; antibiotic drops or ointment from your eye doctor; never squeeze it
Chalazion	A painless, slow-growing lump that can start as a small, red, tender, swollen spot	A heated eye mask, drops or ointment, IPL with gland expression, and time; most go away on their own
Eye allergies	Red, swollen, itchy lids and watery eyes, usually on both sides	Not rubbing; allergy eye drops
Contact dermatitis	Itchy, red skin on the lids after a new cosmetic or hair dye	Stopping the product; an exam
Blepharitis	Red, swollen, itchy lid edges and crusty lashes when you wake up	Daily lid cleaning; warm compresses
Pink eye	A red eye with discharge; the lids may swell	Treatment that matches the cause
A blow to the eye	Swelling and bruising (a black eye)	A cut to the eye or an object that has pierced it: the emergency room (don't rinse or remove anything; protect the eye without pressing). A hard hit that leaves pain or changed vision: call us right away for a same-day exam; a lighter knock: a same-day visit; the emergency room when we're closed. Something stuck in the eye: don't rub it; call us and come straight in (the emergency room when we're closed)
Cellulitis (infection around the eye)	A red, swollen, tender eyelid and nearby skin, sometimes after a cut or other injury	Antibiotics from a doctor, the same day (an emergency room when we're closed)

Styes and chalazia

Styes are usually caused by a bacterial staph infection. A chalazion is a slowly developing lump that forms when an oil gland in the eyelid becomes blocked and swollen. It often starts as a small, red, tender, swollen spot and turns into a painless lump the size of a pea, and it can make the eyelid swell and turn red. Our pages on styes and chalazia cover them in more detail.

Allergies and contact dermatitis

With eye allergies, the eyes can get teary and swollen and itch intensely, and both eyes are usually affected. Triggers include pollen from trees, plants, grasses and weeds, dust mites, mold, pet dander, medicines and cosmetics, and flare-ups are seasonal when pollen counts are high. Our eye allergies page covers treatment in more detail.

Allergic reactions to cosmetic products most often show up as itchy, red rashes on the skin, a condition called allergic contact dermatitis. Fragrances, preservatives and dyes, including those in hair dyes, are common culprits. If you think a product is causing a reaction, see your doctor, because sensitivity to an allergen can get worse over time.

Blepharitis

Blepharitis is a common condition that makes the eyelids red, swollen, irritated and itchy, and it can leave crusty lids or lashes when you wake up. It isn't contagious. It usually doesn't go away completely, so keeping it under control takes a daily lid-cleaning routine. See our blepharitis page for how we treat it.

Pink eye

Pink eye (conjunctivitis) can swell the eyelids or the thin layer that lines the white of the eye. With bacterial pink eye, the discharge can also make the lids red and swollen and leave the lashes crusty. Our pink eye page explains how viral, bacterial and allergic pink eye differ.

Why are my eyelids puffy?

Allergies can make eyelids puffy: allergic pink eye can cause teary, swollen eyes, usually in both eyes. Puffy eyelids can also come from conditions elsewhere in the body.

Have puffiness checked if it doesn't go away or comes with pain or redness, because some medical conditions cause it. Graves' disease, an autoimmune disorder that can cause an overactive thyroid, leads to an eye disease in more than 1 in 3 people who have it: the immune system attacks the muscles and other tissues around the eyes, and puffy eyes and bulging eyes are among the symptoms. For puffy eyelids from Graves' eye disease, sleeping with your head raised may reduce swelling.

Nephrotic syndrome, a group of symptoms that show the kidneys aren't working properly, can cause puffy eyelids along with swelling in the legs, ankles or feet and foamy urine.

When is a swollen eyelid an emergency?

If eyelid swelling comes with any of these signs of orbital cellulitis, call us at 310-828-2010 and come straight in, or see another eye doctor, and go to an emergency room when we're closed:

Fever
Pain when you move your eye
Double vision, or trouble moving the eye
An eye that bulges forward
Decreased vision

Orbital cellulitis is an emergency, and its complications include vision loss.

If eyelid or face swelling comes with trouble breathing, wheezing, or swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, call 911: those can be signs of anaphylaxis, a serious allergic reaction that can begin very quickly.

A red, swollen, tender lid without those signs still needs a same-day visit, or an emergency room when we're closed. It may be periorbital cellulitis, a bacterial infection of the eyelid and nearby skin; if it spreads behind the eye, it becomes orbital cellulitis and needs immediate medical care. Cellulitis is treated with antibiotics, and the bacteria can get in through an injury such as a cut or wound. Orbital cellulitis is more common in children, so a young child with a red, swollen eyelid should be seen the same day; if the child also has a fever, pain moving the eye, a bulging eye, double vision or a change in vision, call us at 310-828-2010 and come straight in, or call your child's pediatrician right away; when we're closed, go to an emergency room.

During office hours, Monday 10 to 5 and Tuesday through Friday 8 to 5, painful lid bumps and redness or swelling that is spreading are on our same-day urgent eye care list; when we're closed, spreading redness or swelling belongs in an emergency room. Any of the orbital cellulitis signs above means calling us and coming straight in during office hours, or the emergency room when we're closed.

How do you reduce a swollen eyelid?

Match the treatment to the cause:

A stye or chalazion: hold a warm compress on the closed lid several times a day. We recommend a heated eye mask, comfortably warm and never hot enough to sting. Never squeeze or try to drain the bump yourself. Our guide to warm compresses explains why a heated mask holds warmth longer than a washcloth.
An allergy: avoid rubbing your eyes. Cold compresses and artificial tears can ease the inflammation, and allergy medicines and antihistamine eye drops, including some prescription drops, can bring relief.
A blow to the eye: if you were hit hard, your vision has changed or the eye hurts a lot, call us right away for a same-day exam, or go to an emergency room when we're closed. A cut to the eye, or an object that has pierced it, means the emergency room: don't rinse the eye or try to remove anything, and protect it without pressing on it. If something is stuck in the eye, don't rub it. Call us and come straight in, because we remove these in the office, or go to an emergency room if we're closed. After a lighter knock, call us for a same-day visit, or go to an emergency room when we're closed.
A reaction to a product: stop using eye makeup while the skin around your eye is inflamed, and see your doctor if you think a product caused it.

Skip eye makeup until a stye has healed, and your eye doctor may advise a break from contact lenses until the infection clears.

How we treat swollen eyelids at Cohenmehr Optometry

Our optometrists in Los Angeles start at the slit lamp (an exam microscope), confirming whether a lump is a stye or a chalazion and ruling out an infection that needs different care.

Styes and chalazia start with conservative care: antibiotic and steroid drops or ointment, plus a heated eye mask at home. If a bump lingers, we treat the eyelid oil glands with IPL (intense pulsed light, a light treatment often used for inflamed eyelid oil glands) and meibomian gland expression, which clears thickened oil from the glands. After that, time helps, because most go away on their own. We prefer to avoid eyelid incisions; if you want a chalazion removed right away, we co-manage the removal with an oculoplastic surgeon. If bumps keep coming back, we image the oil glands and treat the blepharitis or gland problem underneath with lid care, eyelid exfoliation or IPL.

Allergic swelling gets prescription allergy drops, cool compresses and help with controlling triggers. If you're not sure where your symptom fits, our eye symptoms guide sorts common problems by urgency, from a bump on the eyelid to a painful red eye.

Questions patients ask

Do children get styes?

Yes, and the home care is the same: a warm compress, such as a heated eye mask, and no squeezing. Styes are associated with blepharitis and with conditions such as rosacea, seborrheic dermatitis or diabetes. If a young child has a red, swollen eyelid with a fever, pain moving the eye, a bulging eye, double vision or a change in vision, call us at 310-828-2010 and come straight in, or call your child's pediatrician right away; when we're closed, go to an emergency room. Orbital cellulitis, a serious infection around the eye, is more common in children.

Can kids have eye allergies?

Yes. Seasonal allergies, which include hay fever and allergic conjunctivitis (an eye allergy), were the most common allergies diagnosed in US children in 2024, at about 1 in 5, and itchy eyes are one of their symptoms. Eye allergies usually affect both eyes and can make them itchy, teary and swollen. Help your child avoid rubbing, and use cool compresses rather than warm ones. Our eye allergies page explains why constant rubbing is worth treating.

What causes a droopy eyelid?

A drooping eyelid (ptosis) is often caused by weak muscles, aging or nerve damage. A droop that comes on suddenly needs a same-day visit, or an emergency room when we're closed. If it comes with drooping on one side of the face, trouble speaking or swallowing, weakness, double vision or a pupil that looks different, call 911, because those can be signs of a stroke or another nerve emergency. Our droopy eyelid page covers other causes, such as years of contact lens wear.

Can a droopy eyelid be fixed without surgery?

Sometimes, with a prescription eye drop used once a day. Upneeq (oxymetazoline) is approved for acquired blepharoptosis in adults, a droopy upper eyelid that wasn't there at birth, and it targets receptors in Müller's muscle, a small muscle in the eyelid. Its most common side effects include red eyes, dry eye, blurred vision, eye irritation and headache, and it may raise the risk of angle-closure glaucoma in people with untreated narrow-angle glaucoma. Severe droops and extra eyelid skin usually need surgery.

Sources

Written by

Dr. Bijan Cohenmehr, OD

Founder of Cohenmehr Optometry, in practice for over 40 years. He leads the practice’s dry eye care and myopia management. A graduate of SUNY College of Optometry.

About Dr. Bijan →

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