Chalazion Causes Symptoms & Treatment, the Lump in Eyes

There is a meibomian gland at the edge of your eyelid. The job of this gland is to produce lubricating oil for the eye surface. But when this gland gets blocked, minor swelling or a lump on your eyelid appears. This lump is known as chalazion and chalazia if you have multiple lumps over your eyelid. This condition is pretty common.

Let’s look at the symptoms, causes, diagnosis of chalazion, and chalazion treatment as well.

Signs & Symptoms of Chalazion

You might have chalazion if you are facing the following prevalent signs and symptoms of chalazion:-

• The inflamed, small, and red area mostly over your upper eyelid in the beginning stage.
• Your eyes are feeling watery, along with irritation, discomfort, or pain.
• Blurry vision in case of an enormous lump on the eyelid.
• The skin surrounding your eyelid might also appear red.
• When the inflammation increases, the lump on your eyelid feels firm and hard when touched.

Chalazion Causes & Possible Risk Factors

As mentioned earlier, chalazion happens when the oil-generating gland in your eyes gets blocked. It happens due to various reasons like:-

• Underlying Inflammatory Conditions
• Chronic Blepharitis
• Seborrheic Dermatitis
• Acne Rosacea
• Viral Conjunctivitis

Here are the possible risk factors associated with chalazion in your future which you should watch out for:-

• Diabetes
• Viral Infections
• Skin Cancer
• Tuberculosis
• Return of Chalazion

Diagnosis of Chalazion

An Eye doctor can diagnose chalazion through performing a physical examination. They might also ask for your detailed medical history. In the physical examination, they will test the vision of both the eyes individually. The eye doctor will also check the eyelid, face, and eyes closed for any symptoms.

If you are repeatedly suffering from chalazion, your eye doctors may refer you to an ophthalmologist. They will test you for other serious eye infections as well. In case of repetitive chalazion, your health care provider might also suspect underlying severe illnesses like diabetes. They might prescribe a blood test to conclude.

Home Chalazion Treatments

You can try these simple home chalazion treatments, which are effective according to the doctors also.

• Warm compress is a traditional remedy for many ailments. It is effective for chalazion also. Apply and hold a warm compress on the affected eyelid for 15 minutes. Do that at least 3-4 times a day.
• Give a gentle massage on the impacted eyelid and eyes after the warm compress. Massage and compress combined will unblock the gland.
• Practice more patience because sometimes the lump on your eyelid might take weeks or months to disappear.
• Don’t make any desperate attempts like poking, stabbing, popping, or trying to pinch the lump out. You might get scratches and inflammation on your gland. As a result, it may reclog.

Signs That You Should Call Your Doctor

The above home remedies should be enough to minimize the impact of chalazion. And the lump should also be gone in few days. However, if it doesn’t happen, your degree of infection might need advanced medical treatment. So you should call your physician or ophthalmologist at the earliest.

Some other warning signs that call for immediate action are fever, headache, protruding eyes, blurry or double vision, eye pain, and redness. If a child is facing these symptoms, you must get an appointment with the doctor.

Key Takeaway!

A chalazion is a common eye problem, and mostly it goes away in some time. But you should not take your eye health for granted. Keep a watch on the symptoms explained in this article. If the lump on your eyelid doesn’t go away after trying all the home chalazion treatments, you should not delay contacting your doctor to schedule an eye exam. And remember to be extra careful if a child is affected with chalazion.

Dr. Azhar I. Salahuddin

Dr. Azhar I. Salahuddin is an ophthalmologist and is fellowship-trained in cornea, external diseases, and refractive surgery. Dr. Salahuddin has been performing cataract surgery for over 19 years and specializes ocular reconstruction, corneal transplantation surgery as well as vision correction through a variety of intraocular lenses. Dr. Salahuddin is board-certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and was trained at Boston University.

www.insightvisioncenter.com

Lazy Eye in Kids – A Problem that can Threaten the Vision

Lazy eye is a visual impairment that is usually seen in early childhood years. In fact, 2 out of every 100 children are affected by this condition. Though this is concerning, lazy eye in kids can be treated. But first, it’s important to know what lazy eye is and how it can be cured.

What is lazy eye?

Also known as amblyopia, lazy eye is a visual condition in which the brain favors one eye more than the other. An eye is affected by amblyopia because of a number of conditions that prevent it from properly focusing and communicating with the brain. As a result, the brain ends up favoring the other eye.

The most common cause of amblyopia or lazy eye in kids is a weakness or an imbalance in the muscles responsible for positioning the eyes. It prevents the eyes from properly working together.

Effects of Lazy Eye in Kids

These are the signs you need to look out for if you think your kid may be affected by lazy eye or amblyopia:

• A wandering eye
• Misaligned eyes
• Squinting
• Poor depth perception
• Rubbing one eye
• Head tilting
• Problems with reading and writing

As the kid grows and the condition progresses, they could be prone to more serious risks. In severe cases, lazy eye can also lead to loss of vision. Therefore, it is best to detect the problem as early as possible and understand your kids’ options for amblyopia treatment.

How can I tell if my child has amblyopia?

The signs of lazy eye in children can be easily noticed if you pay just enough attention. The first sign you should look for is misaligned or crossed eyes. This symptom indicates strabismus in which the brain bypasses the visual information that the lazy eye receives.

If you suspect the problem, you can get an eye patch for kids since children with lazy eye complain of blurry vision when their dominant eye is covered. To confirm the diagnosis, consult a certified and experienced optometrist, who may use the test called photo screening, which estimates the child’s eye alignment and helps look for a potential problem.

Lazy Eye Treatment

Glasses – Lazy eye in children can be corrected with glasses sometimes. Children with far-sightedness, near-sightedness, or astigmatism are usually prescribed glasses. The specialist monitors the improvement in vision and lazy eye, and suggests the course of treatment, if needed, after that.

Occlusion or Eye Patch – It is one of the most effective lazy eye correction method. In this treatment, the good eye is covered with a patch so that the lazy eye starts working. With the patch on, the brain will only receive information from the lazy eye, and hence, will not ignore it. The patch must be worn for a few hours every day. Also, children should be encouraged to read, color, write, or do other close-up activities while wearing the patch.

Atropine Eye Drops –Another effective amblyopia treatment, atropine eye drops are used to dilate the pupil and blur the vision in the good eye. It has the same results as an eye patch and is less awkward for children.

Vision Exercises – Vision exercises are really helpful and can be done in combination with other treatments.

Lazy Eye Surgery – Lazy eye surgery may be recommended when no other treatment works. It usually results in better eye alignment and also improves the appearance of the eye.

Amblyopia is a serious vision problem that can even lead to blindness. But the good news is that it is treatable in kids. Therefore, it is important to fix lazy eye in children as early as possible.

Consult the experts at InSight Vision Center and ensure the most comfortable and friendly lazy eye treatment for your child.

Dr. Azhar I. Salahuddin

Dr. Azhar I. Salahuddin is an ophthalmologist and is fellowship-trained in cornea, external diseases, and refractive surgery. Dr. Salahuddin has been performing cataract surgery for over 19 years and specializes ocular reconstruction, corneal transplantation surgery as well as vision correction through a variety of intraocular lenses. Dr. Salahuddin is board-certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and was trained at Boston University.

www.insightvisioncenter.com