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The following article was published in Your Health Magazine. Our mission is to empower people to live healthier.
Sapho Doan, OD
Chalazia and Styes
Northern Virginia Doctors of Optometry
. https://www.novaeyedocs.com/

Chalazia and Styes

About Eyelids

The eyelids are very important they do much to protect the eyes from approaching objects and irritating particles in the air. When you blink, your eyelids help to remove foreign objects and distribute tears which lubricate the eyes. But, sometimes the eyelids can have problem and need care. Two common condtitions that affect the eyelids are chalazia and styes.

Chalazia

A chalazion results from a long-term blockage of one or more of the small oil producing glands (meibomian glands) that are found in the upper and lower eyelids. This blockage causes a lump on the eyelid that may grow to the size of a pea. Chalazia are usually painless. If a chalazion become infected, the eyelid can become swollen, inflamed and more painful.

Styes

Styes (hordeola) are often confused with chalazia because they are also a bump in the eyelid. Styes are most often casused by bacterial infections of an eyelid gland. Often they occur near an eyelash root or follicle close to the edge of the eyelid, but may also be deeper in the eyelid. These lumps are red, swollen and painful.

Treatment

In some cases, both chalazia and styes may come to a head and drain on their own without treatment. However, in most cases they do not.

A chalazion may be treated by applying warm compresses to the eyelid at least four times a day, for four weeks. In cases when the chalazion does not respond to hot compresses, steroid drugs may be injected into or adjacent to the site of the chalazion. A chalazion may also be treated by a surgical incision when necessary.

Styes may also be treated with warm compresses. Frequently, antibiotic and/or steroid eye drops or ointments may be needed. In cases where the stye is deeper or the lid swelling spreads throughout the lid, an oral antibiotic may be needed.

Chalazion and styes most often respond well to treatment. If left untreated, however, they can be uncomfortable, unattractive and can lead to other problems. Because there lumps are often associated with chronic eyelid blepharitis (an inflammation of the eyelids), they may recur in these patients. But recurrence may also be a sign of other conditions. If this happens too frequently, your doctor of optometry may recommend additional tests to determine if other health problems may be contributing to their development.

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