In chalazia there is an inflammation on the eyelid with no pain . Stye is a disease that is same as chalazia but it causes extreme pain in eye.
Chalazia:
It is also called as a chalazion. It is the swollen bump on the eyelid. It is caused usually when there is clogging of our oil gland present in the eyelid. It can be seen on an upper or lower eyelid.
It is usually painless but when the severity increases, the chalazia condition can cause pain, redness as well as a loss of vision or disturbance in vision.
Symptoms and Causes:
Chalazia are usually caused by blockage of oil glands or tiny meibomian glands present in the upper or lower eyelid. The function of these oil glands is moistening of the eye. Sometimes, due to infections that attack the meibomian glands can cause chalazia condition.
It is usually seen as a painless lump or inflammation or swelling on the eyelid. Unless the chalazia are infected, the pain or redness inside the eye is not seen. It can either cause blurred or blockage of vision based on the size of the inflammation.
Risk factors:
The chalazia condition is usually seen in people suffering from various conditions such as acne, rosacea, chronic blepharitis.
People who are suffering from conjunctivitis caused due to a virus or any kind of infection can also result in developing chalazia disease.
Recurring and unusual chalazia are rarely seen in people.
Diagnosis of chalazia:
The lump on the upper or lower eyelid can be seen which helps in diagnosing chalazia. The doctor collects the fluid which is seen near the inflamed eyelid and checks it under the microscope. Differences in symptoms help in differentiating chalazia from styes.
Treatment of chalazia:
The treatment of chalazia is done by two mechanisms i.e, home remedy or with medical help.
The steps are as below –
Home remedies: In home remedies, the use of a warm compress is seen for treating chalazia.
- Since the lump of chalazia is present, first of all, one should not try to squeeze the chalazia as it can lead to infection.
- Then the application of warm compress on the eyelid for at least 10 minutes and apply it 4-5 times a day.
- The application of a warm compress can help in the removal of blockages in oil glands by softening the oils present in it.
- Massage the eyelid lump for few times during a day. Apply some eye cream or eye drops prescribed by the doctor.
Medical help:
In the case of chalazia, the condition is not cured with the help of home remedies. Then the use of medical help i.e, use of corticosteroid injections or surgical methods. These methods are very much effective against chalazia.
Prevention of chalazia:
There are no possible ways to permanently avoid chalazia condition. It can occur in any healthy person depending on his or her eye maintenance. But following some dialy life routine , the prevention of chalazia can be achieved such as
- Wash the hands before touching the eyes.
- Proper cleaning of accessories used in the eyes such as contact lenses or spectacles.
- Sometimes, check out for symptoms of developing chalazia inside the eye can also help in preventing chalazia.
Differences between chalazia and styes:
It is sometimes really difficult to distinguish between chalazia and stye by mere appearance.
The stye condition is really painful,which is seen at the edge of the eyelid and caused by an infection at the root of eyelashes. It has the potential to infect the entire eyelid.
Whereas the chalazia condition is not painful. It is a lump that is seen further away from a location where the stye occurs on an eyelid. It is caused by clogging of meibomian glands or oil glands present in the eyelid. In rare cases, it can cause swelling of a complete eyelid.
Stye:
It is also referred to as a hordeolum. It is annoying as well as uncomfortable. It is caused by a bacterial infection on the eyelashes or on the oil glands. The bacteria which gets trapped inside these glands causes the development of stye on the eyelid. Sometimes the dead skin cells, as well as other debris get clogged inside the oil glands leading to stye.
Types of stye:
There are two types of stye which are namely internal and external stye.
External styes are much common than internal styes. It is seen near the follicles of the eyelash and is located at the edge outside the eyelid.
Internal styes are rarely seen cases but are extremely painful and can cause much more damage than external styes.
These are seen inside the oil gland (meibomian glands). There is a fluid-like discharge from the infected part of the eyelid.
Symptoms of stye:
- Swelling of an eye.
- Yellowish color discharge
- Photophobia
- Sensation inside the eye
- Watering of eye
Risk factors:
The factors that influence the development of stye inside the eye are having itchy eyes and inflammation of the eyelid. Various skin diseases such as acne, rosacea etc. Mostly the styes are caused by a bacterial species called as Staphylococcus. These bacteria usually reside over the skin and are harmless bacterial species. They cause infection when they get transferred into the eye or get trapped inside the oil glands of the eyelid.
Eye infections which caused by the improper maintenance and cleaning of eye accessories such as contact lenses and spectacles. Usage of contacts even after they have expired and also wearing contact lenses while sleeping become a major problem for an eye infection.
Treatment of styes:
The styes can be treated by warm compress and also by the use of topical antibiotics. By placing a warm compress on the stye can help in liquefying the hardened or blocked material inside the oil gland and allowing it to drain.
The unclogging of the gland can help in treating internal styes by providing a drainage route to the pus and removal of debris inside the eyelid.
Use a mild shampoo and gentle soaps with the help of a cotton swab to remove drainage from the eyelid. A little amount of blood is seen while draining the pus and also when there is an increase in blood, then it must be treated by the doctor.
The eyelid is made numb and then with the help of a small incision on the eyelid, the doctor drains the pus and debris which is clogged inside the eyelid which results in styes formation.
Complications of styes:
If left untreated, the styes can sometimes be more fatal when there is a lot of loss of blood while performing the drainage of the pus and debris from the infected eyelid.
Also, when there is a rapid growth of infection inside the eyelid it can develop stye inside the eye.
If there is an increase in inflammation or swelling in the eyelid or any new signs of infections inside the eye, then it shows the development of severe infection of stye inside the eye.
Sometimes, there is a temporary loss of vision due to stye condition along with inflammation and redness around the eyes showing the effect of a stye on the skin or increase of skin infections.
The best way to treat your eyes is to visit your eye care professional and get your eyes checked regularly. He will be able to assess the best method of treatment for your eye ailment. Visit our website Eyemantra. To book an appointment call at +91-8851044355. Or mail us at eyemantra1@gmail.com.Our other services includes : Paediatric Ophthalmologist,Computer Vision Syndrome, Neuro-Ophthalmology, ICL Surgery in Delhi, Cataract Surgery in Delhi and many more.
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