Chalazion? warm compresses?!
Question: I have a chalazion and have been told to do warm compresses 5 minutes, 3 times a day for a month. I have four questions:
1. Should the compresses be with a warm wet cloth, or a hot pack or those heating pads? I would find the second easier to use because the heat stays longer in a pad.
2. Would eye makeup have any contribution to the chalazion?
3. how hard are the compresses supposed to be? like pushing on your eye?
4. what is this about scrubbing your eyelid? and how do you do this?
Answers: I have a chalazion and have been told to do warm compresses 5 minutes, 3 times a day for a month. I have four questions:
1. Should the compresses be with a warm wet cloth, or a hot pack or those heating pads? I would find the second easier to use because the heat stays longer in a pad.
2. Would eye makeup have any contribution to the chalazion?
3. how hard are the compresses supposed to be? like pushing on your eye?
4. what is this about scrubbing your eyelid? and how do you do this?
First understand why you are applying warm compresses.
A gland in your eyelid outlet has become plugged, the same as an oil or sweat gland elsewhere. So you are trying to loosen this material by the warm compress.
1. Warm moist cloth or if you want to use a hot pack simply put a moist cloth between the pack and the eyelid. The object is to loosen the plugged material so moisture helps.
2. Eye makeup can both cause a chalazion and irritate it and or infect it.
The best is to discontinue use of all eye makeup until this is completely healed. Even after it is healed it is wise to discard all eye makeup you had used before it took place and buy new makeup. Eye makeup can be contaminated.
3. Apply firmly but without pressure.
4. You have two areas: external eyelid and the underside of the eyelid that touches your eyeball.
Wash the external eyelid with warm water and soap.
The doctor may swipe the internal lid with a qtip swab that is moist.
The only time you may be tempted to use a qtip on this internal lid is if the chalazion has pointed and the material feels like it is coming out or ready to come out.
You usually do not notice when the gland duct opens up, it just happens.
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Treatment options:
Here is the American Academy of Opthalmology site and references:
Symptoms are treated with one or more of the following methods:
* Warm compresses. Warm compresses help to clear the clogged gland. Soak a clean washcloth in hot water and apply the cloth to the lid for 10 to 15 minutes, three or four times a day until the chalazion is gone. You should repeatedly soak the cloth in hot water to maintain adequate heat.
* Antibiotic ointments. An antibiotic ointment may be prescribed if bacteria infect the chalazion.
* Steroid injections. A steroid (cortisone) injection is sometimes used to reduce inflammation of a chalazion.
* Surgical removal. If a large chalazion does not respond to other treatments and/or affects vision, your ophthalmologist (Eye M.D.) may drain it surgically. The procedure is usually performed under local anesthesia in your ophthalmologist's office.
http://www.medem.com/medlb/article_detai...
Use a wet rag, and be gentle. It looks like irritating it would be a bad thing.