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Your eyelids have small glands producing an oily substance that helps keep your eyes moist. When one of these glands are blocked, you can get a chalazion. 

A chalazion is a bump on your eyelid and is red; moreover, it is referred to as an eyelid cyst or a meibomian cyst. A chalazion can be painful at first; however, with time, the pain tends to subside. It tends to occur on the upper eyelid, but sometimes may develop on the lower one. 

A chalazion is often mistaken for a stye. You can still easily differentiate between the two as styes are the painful swelling of oil-producing glands on the bacterial eye. However, a chalazion is not painful and occurs farther back on the eyelid.

Types

There is no specific type of chalazion

Stages

There are no known specific stages of chalazion

Symptoms

Chalazian demonstrate one or more of these typical symptoms:

1. Painless lump formation or swelling in the upper and lower eyelid that is usually visible.


2. Chalazion can develop on one eye or on both eyes.


3. They are round, well-defined, and the sphere is easily noticeable when touched.


4. You can develop one or more chalazia on either eye.


5. For multiple chalazia, they may overlap with adjacent chalazia.


6. The larger the chalazia, the more your vision may be disturbed or your vision may be obstructed.


7. It may lead to irregular eye movements.


8. If there is a secondary infection, it may cause the area to be red and inflamed.


9. Pain is present at the chalazia site.

Causes And Risk Factors

The causes and risk factor for the development of a chalazion are listed below:

Causes

Small glands that are present in the inner surface of the eyelid. They are known as the meibomian glands. These glands secrete an oily fluid called meibum, which helps to maintain the moistness in the eye. If one of these glands gets blocked, the secretion cannot escape into tears. This may lead to the expansion and a leak into the islet tissue and may cause Inflammation. Over time, the inflammation converts into a granuloma that is a firm, solid bump that stays for a long time.

A chalazion is extremely common in people having blepharitis or skin conditions such as eczema because, in these conditions, there is a thickening of the skin, which makes it more prone to blockage.

Risk Factors

The risk factors that may lead to the development of chalazia are listed below:

1. Acne rosacea


2. Chronic blepharitis


3. Seborrhea


4. Tuberculosis


5. Viral infections

Prevention

You can prevent the occurrence of chalazia with these small tips and tricks:

1. Do not rub your eyes. This can lead to irritation of the eye, which may lead to the bacteria getting within the eye. If you want to touch the eye, ensure you first wash your hands.


2. Protect your eyes from dust particles when you can, e.g., you can wear safety glasses when you feel you will do things that involve dust particles.


3. Do not use your eye makeup for a long time. Replace them every six months, especially mascara, kajal, or liners. Bacteria tend to grow on makeup.


4. If you get chalazia often, regularly wash your eyelids using a cotton pad and baby shampoo.


5. Regularly treat all types of infections and inflammation of eyelids.

Diagnosis

Whenever you have a bump on your eye, you must go and visit your ophthalmologist. Your ophthalmologist may then conduct various investigations that might help you diagnose the condition after the final diagnosis treatment alternatives are suggested. 

During the visit, your ophthalmologist may:

1. Ask about your health history - A complete health history will be asked by your ophthalmologist, which can help identify the underlying issues that contribute to your current condition.


2. External eye examination - Your physician will investigate your eye, eyelid, eyelash, and skin conditions.


3. Thorough eyelid examination - Your doctor may shine a torch through your eye and use magnification to examine the base of your eyelashes. Moreover, they check the opening of the eye gland too.

Treatment

1. No treatment may be required for most people They get better without any treatment; this may take some time between 2 and 6 months.


2. Antibiotic ointment drops and medicine is rarely recommended because they do not make any difference as the cyst contains infection-free material.


3. If the chalazion is troublesome or persistent, a small operation is considered. Ophthalmologists can perform this surgery at your local ophthalmologists and anesthesia is used. The eyelid is numbed, and a small cut is made on the inside of the eye. After the surgery, antibiotic drops or ointments are suggested.

Lifestyle/management

You can mostly treat chalazion at home; most of them go away in a month. 

The first, foremost thing you are required to remember is that you should not try to pop a chalazion. It can lead to an eye injury. For comfort, you can try the following home remedies:

Warm compress

Take a clean, soft cloth, soak it in warm water and hold it on the affected area for at least 15 min. Do this at least three times a day to help with the opening of oil glands.

Massage

Gently massage the eyelid a few times a day using minimal pressure.

Good hygiene

Do not wear make-up on your eye while you have chalazion. After the chalazion is drained, keep the area clean and avoid touching the eyes.

Prognosis And Complications

Prognosis

If you have a chalazion that does not go away with treatment, it is advisable to consult an eye specialist. The physician will help you manage your chalazion; it can be treated in about a weeks’ time.

If you are to get multiple chalazions, ensure you check and practice hygiene.

Complications

Chalazia that are untreated can lead to cellulitis, which can convert into the disfiguration of the eyelid if left untreated for a long time. Large central chalazia can be the reason for visual disturbances. Chalazia that occurs on the upper lid increases the risk of astigmatism and corneal aberrations. This risk is only if the chalazion crosses the size of 5 mm. 

To avoid these risk factors, a surgical excision is recommended.

Alternative Treatments

Treating chalazia with injection

In this procedure, your physician will inject anti-inflammatory medication, usually corticosteroids, into the affected part, which will help in reducing inflammation. One of the complication is that it can cause the skin around the injection to lighten.

Surgical procedure

In this procedure, your doctor will give you a local anaesthetic on the area around the eye and then will use a clamp to uphold your eye in the position. Your doctor will place a small incision to remove the inflamed apart, and the use of cold compress maybe recommended to you to help with pain. The prescription of steroid drops or ointment is provided to help with the inflammation

References

1. Cleveland Clinic. Chalazion. [Internet] [Updated on: 2/24/2021] Available at: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17657-chalazion (https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17657-chalazion)


2. Atomic therapy. Chalazion. [Internet] [Updated on: 21/8/2021] Available at: https://atomictherapy.org/chalazion/ (https://atomictherapy.org/chalazion/)

3. Chop. Chalazion. [Internet] Available at: https://www.chop.edu/conditions-diseases/chalazion (https://www.chop.edu/conditions-diseases/chalazion)


4. Patient Infor. Chalazion. [Internet] Available at: https://patient.info/eye-care/swollen-eyelid/chalazion (https://patient.info/eye-care/swollen-eyelid/chalazion)


5. American Optometric Association. [Internet] Available at: https://www.aoa.org/healthy-eyes/eye-and-vision-conditions/chalazion?sso=y (https://www.aoa.org/healthy-eyes/eye-and-vision-conditions/chalazion?sso=y)


6. Michigan medicine. Styes and Chalazia. [Internet] Available at:  https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/hw167057 (https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/hw167057)


7. NCBI. Chalazia. [Internet] [Updated on: 8/8/2021] Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499889/ (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499889)


8. Urnich edu. Chalazia. [Internet] Available at:  https://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/Ophthalmology/comprehensive/ChalazionTreatment.pdf (https://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/Ophthalmology/comprehensive/ChalazionTreatment.pdf)