Styes and Chalazion

Jun 20, 2020 | Eye Exams, Eye Health & Wellness, Eye Health Tips, How to Protect Your Eyes, Preventative Care, Uncategorized

Styes and Chalazion:

A chalazion is a swelling in the eyelid caused by inflammation of one of the small oil-producing glands located in the upper or lower eyelids, it is often referred to as a stye and appears as a lump on the eyelid. However, a stye is an infection of the lash follicle and forms a red, sore lump. Chalazions tend to occur farther from the edge of the eyelid than styes and tend to “point” toward the inside of the eyelid, there is often a particularly tender point.

If the Chalazion is large it may even cause blurred vision due to compression on the cornea or front surface of the eye. Treatment consists of any or a combination of the following methods:

  • • Warm Compresses to help clear the clogged gland; Heat a clean washcloth with hot tap water (do NOT microwave the hot, wet, washcloth as it could get too hot) apply for 30 seconds or until cool, repeat. Alternatively, we recommend a product called a BRUDER MASK, this CAN be microwaved, is antimicrobial and will provide 5-8 minutes of continuous heat. We recommend doing either treatment hourly when the stye first appears, then decreasing the frequency as it resolves. The longer you wait on hot pack treatments the longer it takes to get rid of the stye and the higher the likelihood for surgical intervention.
  • • Antibiotics if the lid is severely involved.
  • • Steroid injections may be used to reduce inflammation.
  • • Surgical drainage may be required to treat a large chalazion if it does not respond to the above treatments.
  • • Refrain from draining the lid by squeezing the lump, this will likely cause further problems.

Keeping your lids and lashes healthy to prevent Styes and Chalazion:

Speak to your doctor about lid cleansing with Ocusoft, Cliridex or Zocufoam to keep the oil glands in the lids healthy. Remove makeup nightly with warm water and one of the products above, your doctor may also recommend Hypochlor for additional lid cleansing.

If a chalazion recurs in the same place, your eye doctor may recommend a biopsy to rule out problems that are more serious.