Sometimes it may happen that we go to sleep and in the morning when we get up we notice that there is a little pain in one eye or that it is difficult to open the eyes due to a foreign body that we notice in the eye.
The chalazion is an inflammation of a small region of the upper or lower eyelid
that usually appears as a small lump in the eyelid.
CAUSES
Chalazion is caused by inflammation or infection of the sebaceous glands of the
eyelid.
When there is inflammation of a sebaceous gland, inflammation occurs to the
surrounding glands as the inflamed gland becomes clogged and generates a lipid secretion that is released into the neighboring glands generating the reaction.
When the infection occurs, the tissue of the eyelids swells forming a lump and
acquires a reddish color. Sometimes it can even cause pain.
Many times, the chalazion appears in a more serious ocular infectious process,
such as there has been a blepharitis and in the course of the infection of
blepharitis, inflammation of the eyelid occurs and generates the chalazion.
SYMPTOMS
- The main symptoms that can produce the chalazion are:
- Inflammation of the eyelid that usually takes the form of a nodule.
- Redness of the infected part of the eyelid.
- Foreign body sensation in the eye
- Pain at the edge of the eyelids
TREATMENT
Generally, the treatment for chalacion is:
- Proper hygiene: Use warm compresses to rub the eyelids well and gently
every day and the more times a day the better. Generally, make a good
eyelid hygiene a couple of times a day is correct. Keep in mind that you
should only rub the infected eye and never use the same compress to clean
the other healthy eye. - Antibiotic ointment: it is usually used as mentioned above if there is an
associated infection such as blepharitis. - Surgical intervention: only used if the previous treatments have not been
effective. Many times, the symptoms may be reduced and the swelling and
redness of the eyelids may be reduced but the nodule may still be there
causing the foreign body sensation. In this case and when previous
treatments have not been effective, what is done is to remove the cyst to
eliminate the infection permanently and improve drainage of the infected
area.
CHALAZION OR STYE?
It is important to keep in mind that when the symptoms of a chalazion appear, it
is necessary to go to the doctor in order to choose the necessary treatment. There are many conditions associated with the presence of this infection, that is, many times a chalazion occurs when there is some other type of disease such as rosacea or a stye.
Unlike a stye, a chalazion is generally less painful and its inflammation is in the
eyelids and not near the eyelashes. A stye is mostly caused by a bacterial
infection.
The most important factors to avoid this type of eye infections are:
- Always wash your hands thoroughly.
- Avoid rubbing the eyes on a regular basis.
- If there is any type of eyelid inflammation, it is advisable not to use contact
lenses or make-up. - Maintain a very good eye hygiene every day. When you get up in the
morning, just as you wash your face, you should also take good care of
your eyelid hygiene, especially in the morning, and gently rub your eyelids.