Stye treatment, diagnosis & prescriptions

Maple is a virtual care platform that connects you with doctors and other healthcare providers via text, audio, or video. After you log in to your Maple account, you can request an online consultation.

Consultations work similarly to in-person appointments — the doctor can complete an assessment by asking questions about your symptoms, going through your health history, and determining what treatment is right for you. If they think your condition is more serious, they may tell you to go to a clinic for an in-person examination.

As a Maple member, you get 24/7 access to virtual primary care online and more. You can connect with our network of providers via text, audio, or video call within minutes.

Our membership costs $79.99/month and covers virtual care for patients and their families, including the primary account holder's spouse and any dependents.

For patients in eligible provinces, our membership includes:

• Access to daily primary care provider visits: One daily visit with a primary care provider for each family member in their household.
• Paediatric care: Covered paediatric primary care visits, available by appointment.
• Second medical opinions: access to a network of experts for a second opinion if diagnosed with a complex condition (e.g. cancer).
• Personal Health Check-Ins: A series of personalized, evidence-based proactive care screenings to maintain and improve health.
• iCBT courses: Access to iCBT (internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy) self-assessment and courses.
• Access to specialists in eligible provinces: Easy access to specialists on Maple within days, not months. No referral is needed.
• Specialist referrals in eligible provinces: Ability to be referred to a physician specialist for in-person care, if needed.
• Credit discounts: An $80 credit per month to be applied to a Maple specialist visit.

Please note that our membership cannot be combined with other offerings, such as private insurance coverage and provincial programs, where available. In some cases, membership fees can be covered by a Healthcare Spending Account (HSA) — check with your HSA provider for more details.

We accept all major credit cards, including AMEX cards, as well as Google and Apple Pay.

At Maple, we proudly prioritize privacy as a cornerstone of our virtual care services. We strictly adhere to privacy and healthcare legislation in Canada, such as PIPEDA and PHIPA regulations, to ensure patients' personal and health information remains completely private and safeguarded.

Our policies and consent processes are designed to be simple and easily understood, empowering individuals with control and a clear understanding of their healthcare journey. When using our services, a patient’s session is protected by a comprehensive security infrastructure and stringent data policies.

Patients also retain full control of their personal health information, medical records and test results at all times. Our approach is reinforced by consultations with leading experts, guaranteeing comprehensive policy frameworks that are reviewed at a regular cadence.

All providers delivering healthcare through Maple are licensed in Canada and governed by their licensing regulatory colleges, and in all instances, must act in accordance with the governing principles set out in the telemedicine policies of each medical regulator in the applicable province.

Regulators across Canada support and recognize the value of services like ours, and the way in which they can benefit patients, physicians, and Canada’s broader healthcare system by improving access to care and increasing efficiencies in the delivery of care.

Yes, a Maple doctor can diagnose and treat a stye. They’ll ask you some questions about your symptoms, and ask to see your eye. From there, they can give advice on next steps and any necessary medication.

A stye is an infection on the eyelid, near or on the lash line, that causes mildly painful red lumps resembling a pimple.

The appearance of a stye might follow a period of time where dead skin, oil or dirt has been left to build up on your lash line, causing the tiny holes that make up your eyelash follicles to become clogged.

The common symptoms of a stye include:

• An itchy, sore eye
• Swollen eyelid
• Excessive eye-watering

Styes usually heal themselves by breaking open and draining after around 3 days. Stye complications are unusual, but if swelling spreads to other areas of the face or the stye doesn’t begin to heal after a few days, let your doctor know right away.

Styes are caused by a bacterial infection in the follicles at the base of the eyelash. You’re more likely to get a stye if you:

• Touch your eyes with dirty hands
• Sleep with makeup on
• Put in contacts without cleaning your hands first
• Are diabetic
• Have rosacea (a skin condition that causes redness in the face)
• Have blepharitis (chronically inflammation along the eye line)
• Have had a stye before
• Have high cholesterol

Stye treatment might consist of at-home remedies, like a warm compress held over the eye to reduce swelling and open up the pores, encouraging the release of trapped bacteria. Regularly cleaning the area with soap and water will also help.

Avoid touching the stye or squeezing it unnecessarily, as the pus released could cause the infection to spread. To control the bacteria, Polysporin or other topical antibiotic ointments can help with stye treatment.

If you’re wondering when to see a doctor, a stye that remains the same size, or continues to grow for more than a few days may be cause for further medical attention. A doctor may then give a prescription for stye medication, which is sometimes an antibiotic taken orally.