Chalazion: Swollen Eyelids and How to Fix Them

I awoke one morning with an odd sort of soreness in my left eye. I looked in the mirror to discover my eyelid was swollen and a bit red, but the eye itself seemed fine. I automatically assumed my son had knocked me in the eye in my sleep causing it to be swollen and went about my business. Several days later, the eyelid remained swollen and did not appear to be getting better, but worse. It does not take a medical degree to know when an eye is physically damaged it will become less swollen over time as the tissue heals, not continue to swell. Something was wrong. After some reading, I discovered I had a Chalazion.

What is a Chalazion?

A Chalazion is a lump in the eyelid (usually the upper) caused by a blockage in one of over one hundred drainage ducts for a modified sweat gland in the eyelid that produces oil to lubricate your eye. After the duct becomes blocked, the gland continues to produce oil, and as the oil builds, it creates a lump. Eventually the swollen duct will rupture and cause inflammation, which can cause swelling and pain in the eyelid.

A Chalazion is similar to a stye sometimes even considered a variant of a stye or even a synonym. Think of it this way, a stye is the zit of the eye world. Styes appear on the surface usually in the eyelashes where oil exits the duct. Styes appear as small, painful lumps that can be a result of infection. A Chalazion is the cystic acne of the eye world. A Chalazion starts within the tissue of the eyelid and is not a result of infection but a clogged duct. The clogged duct itself causes no pain what so ever. The inflammation that results from the rupture of the duct is what causes the pain, swelling, and possible redness in the eyelid.

How do I get rid of a Chalazion?

Much like a Stye, a Chalazion is easy to treat at home in most cases with a warm compress. The way I like to do a warm compress is to take a clean wash and get it damp. Place the rag in the microwave for 5-7 seconds and flip, then microwave another 5-7 seconds until the washrag is a little more than warm but tolerable to the touch. Microwaving the washrag assures all bacteria in the rag is dead. As with all aliments of the eye, infection is always a risk. Hold the heated washrag to the Chalazion on each side of the rag until it is no longer warm. Repeat once every 2-4 hours. Most Chalazion will clear up within a few weeks, possibly even days if the blockage is not severe. My Chalazion began to reduce in size after the first compress.

If your Chalazion does not go away and your eyelid remains swollen after a few weeks you should see a doctor. Some times a Chalazion will become so severe it requires surgery or steroid injections to resolve. The earlier you begin treatment of a Chalazion the better.

How can I avoid a Chalazion?

Chalazion is one of the most common eye aliments in the United States. They sometimes occur without reason and cannot be avoid. You can reduce the chance of Chalazions by keeping good eye hygiene. If you have especially over active oil glands in the eye (as my eye doctor has told me) you can clean the eyelid with a q-tip and water every morning to reduce the occurrence of Chalazions, styes and bacterial infections in contact wearers.

Over all Chalazions are annoying, can prove painful, but are not commonly dangerous. Usually they do not even warrant a doctor's visit.