Prescribing workflow
Most styes don’t need a script — but when they do…
OptoGuide™ takes a hordeolum from presentation to a clinician-reviewed plan — warm compresses and lid hygiene first, and when a topical antibiotic is warranted, the script is built for you rather than hand-written.
Structured for Australian optometry practice. Clinically reviewed by Dr Ankit Mathur, PhD, Grad Cert Ocu Thera, B.S. Optom.
Clinical decision support only
Red flags — assess urgently before anything else
A localised, tender lid lump is usually benign, but spreading or orbital signs support urgent escalation.
- Spreading redness, marked or unilateral lid swelling, or systemic upset.
- Reduced vision, pain on eye movement, or restricted eye movement.
- A concern for preseptal or orbital cellulitis.
One connected workflow, not separate lookups
Recognition, management, prescribing, and referral usually live in different tools. In OptoGuide™ they are one path — each step hands off to the next so the decision keeps moving.
Step 1
Triage the presentation and findings
Start from the presenting complaint, then the findings — here a lid-swelling pattern with a focal, tender lid lump and localised redness.
- Localise the lump and confirm it is focal and tender.
- Check for spreading redness or orbital signs before settling on a benign course.

Step 2
Confirm conservative first-line management
Open the condition for structured guidance — an external hordeolum managed first with warm compresses and lid hygiene, with a topical antibiotic only where indicated.
- Warm compresses and lid hygiene are the honest first-line — not a default script.
- The antibiotic is framed as “where indicated”, alongside escalation cues.

Step 3
Build the script when it’s warranted
Where a topical antibiotic is indicated, the drug and directions pre-fill from the condition. You add the patient at the point of care — nothing is stored.
- The script is offered only where clinically indicated, not by default.
- Patient details are entered locally and never leave the browser (DEC-007 / DEC-008).

Step 4
Generate the PBS-format script
OptoGuide™ prepares the PBS-format prescription — prescriber, patient, drug, and directions filled — ready to print and sign. The clinician reviews, signs, and follows up.
- A print-ready PBS-format PDF, generated client-side.
- OptoGuide supports the workflow — it does not diagnose, prescribe, or verify prescribing authority.

Prescriber identity shown as demo values; patient is a demo record.
Clinical basis
This guidance reflects standard optometric clinical reasoning based on:
- Australian optometry clinical practice patterns
- Australian medicines regulation and PBS prescribing context
- Common ophthalmology referral standards
- Evidence-based clinical training and practice
Manage the stye — and skip the hand-writing when a script is needed.
Free 14-day full-access trial. No credit card required.