Eye disease - Eyelid lump

Eyelid lumps are sometimes caused by obstructed drainage of oil glands in an eyelid or both eyelids. The lump may appear on the lower or upper eyelid and some people might experience its slow growth over days and weeks. Some patients complain about redness of that particular part of the eye, warmth or even painful sensation associated with chalazion, as this eyelid lump is also known.

Overview

Every human eyelid contains some 30 to 40 modified oil glands and their main function is to secrete oil into tears. Blockage of any of these numerous glands in any eyelid can provoke formation of a lump. Chalazion is different than sty, although the cause of the problem is very similar (obstruction of a gland). While sty (hordeolum) is acute infection of oil gland of the eye and usually causes quite a bit of pain, chalazion is just inflammation without infection of an eyelid oil gland and most people do not find it very painful.

Upper or lower eyelid oil gland may be swelling very slowly and it might take several weeks to occur as chalazion. Sometimes, this lump may grow up to 1/8 of an inch and it is easily noticeable when you look to the inside of the eyelid in the mirror.What Causes Chalazion?

As we mentioned in the article, chalazion appears after blockage of oil glands in the eyelids, known as Meibomian glands. Besides the jammed glands, too thick oil is another cause of an eyelid lump. In that case, oil starts to accumulate and form the lump, finally causing gland wall to burst and release the oil into the eyelid, provoking inflammation or even scars.

Does Chalazion Needs Treatment?

Try to apply warm compresses (warm towels) to the swollen eyelid. If this does not improve the problem within several days, call your ophthalmologist and make an appointment. Also, do not hesitate to look for medical assistance if you develop high body temperature (fever), headache, eye drainage or eye pain or any vision problem, such as blurring or impairment of the vision. Also, contact your eye specialist if both of your eyes appear swollen or one eye gets completely affected by swelling. Extensive swelling or redness of the eyes should also be checked by your doctor.

However, warm towels usually resolved this eyelid problem. Just hold a warm towel on the affected eyelid for some 10 minutes and repeat the procedure 4 times every day. You can lightly massage that area of the eye, for it has been proven to help in some chalazion cases.