Did you ever wake up and find that you have a painful pimple on your eyelid, right at the lash line? That's not your average, ordinary pimple. What you might have would be more commonly referred to as a stye (or sty) and is basically an infection of the gland at the eyelash root. It can be red, painful and sore, appearing either on the outside or underneath the eyelid.

Styes are caused by bacteria often transferred to the eye by physical contact such as rubbing your eyes. To relieve discomfort, it is best to apply very warm compresses for 10 minutes, a few times per day.

It may eventually come to a head and break open before disappearing, or it may just fade away after a few days. They are usually not serious, and should be treated genty. The same as with trying to get rid of pimples, you should never attempt to pop a stye – just let it pop on its own.

In severe cases, or frequent recurrences, you may need to consult your eye doctor for treatment.

If the “pimple” is further away from the edge of the eyelid, it might be what is called a chalazion (taken from the Greek word for hailstone or small lump). A chalazion is a cyst that is formed when an oil gland (also called meibomian glands) in the eyelid becomes blocked.

They are not as painful as a sty, maybe a discomfort from the swelling, but it is normally just a painless hard bump that may take weeks to several months to go away. Treating it with warm compresses may help to speed up the healing process. If it is bothersome, or lasts for a few months, a visit to your eye doctor may be in order.