Chalazion
Discussion and Photo

A chalazion is a pea-sized benign eyelid cyst that forms in response to chronic inflammation within an eyelid oil gland. It may occur at any age and show most prominently from either the front or back surface (photo) of the upper or lower eyelid.

An acute chalazion may appear suddenly with itching, swelling, pain, and redness and be confused with a sty (a true meibomian gland infection).

Alternatively, a chronic chalazion may appear as a slowly enlarging bump with little eye discomfort or eyelid redness.

Warm compresses are often recommended although they usually accomplish little other than to provide comfort and kill time as the swollen eyelid heals itself. Because a chalazion is not an infection, it does not respond to oral antibiotics or medicated eye drops or ointments.

Most acute chalazion cysts shrink without special treatment over several weeks, although a deeper hard core frequently remains intact and can be felt as a small lump inside the lid. Sooner of later, the core leaks and the cyst flares up again. Repeated attacks of eyelid puffiness and deep inflammation from a chronic chalazion may gradually deform the lid or distort the eyelashes.

Painless eyelid growths without signs of acute inflammation can be caused by other eyelid disorders. An eyelid cyst that requires repeated surgical removal may instead be a slow-growing eyelid cancer. The diagnosis of malignancy is made by submitting a specimen of the growth to a laboratory for microscopic analysis.

Chalazion removal is a minor office surgical procedure that takes about ten minutes and requires the injection of local anesthesia. Following excision, the eye is usually covered by a patch for several hours. Eyelid swelling typically disappears over several days.

Chalazion cysts may be treated by steroid injections rather than surgical removal. While sometimes used in young children or the uncooperative elderly to decrease swelling, this method of eyelid cyst treatment is a poor second choice to removal.