Chalazion treatment and pricing

Chalazions tend to clear up on their own over a period of a few weeks and there are chalazion treatments at home which can promote healing.

Treatment at home

The first stage of treatment involvesusing a warm compress and massaging your eyelid:

• Warm compress: boil some water and let it cool a little or use water from the hot tap. Soak cotton wool or a clean flannel in the warm (but not boiling) water, squeeze it out and gently press onto your closed eyelids for two to three minutes at a time.
• Massage: starting at the skin crease, gently massage the upper lid downwards to the lashes. The lower lid should be massaged upwards towards the lashes. This may release the contents of the cyst, which means further treatment will not be necessary. 

Warm compresses and massage can soften oil blockages and effectively drain to the ducts

To prevent further discomfort, avoid touching the affected area once it starts to drain and ensure you keep it clean. Avoid wearing eye makeup and contact lenses throughout the chalazion healing stages.

Eye drops and antibiotics

Chalazion treatment with over the counter products may also be recommended by your doctor or pharmacist.

This may include chalazion eye drops, ointments and solutions to prevent infection occurring, alleviate any irritation and promote faster chalazion healing.

Sometimes the chalazion may cause a spreading infection along the surface of your lid, which might need a course of oral antibiotics.

When is chalazion surgery required?

If the chalazion does not respond to the first stage of the treatment, it can be drained.

The procedure

Once you are lying comfortably on the operating table, the skin around the chalazion will be injected with local anaesthetic. This will sting at first but the lid will soon become numb. Although you will still be able to feel touch and pressure you should not feel any pain.

A small incision will be made on the inner surface of your eyelid so that the contents of the cyst can be drained. Ointment will be applied and a pad placed over your eye.

You will be able to go home on the same day.

Biopsy

If chalazions continue to occur, your surgeon may also conduct a biopsy by removing a small tissue sample from the chalazion lump. This will be examined for any indications of other serious medical conditions, such as cancer.

Aftercare

When the anaesthetic wears off, there may be some discomfort. To relieve this, you can take mild pain relief such as paracetamol. You should keep the pad over the eye for at least four hours as this reduces swelling and bruising. When you remove the pad, you will find some blood or discharge around your eye. Clean the eyelid with cooled boiled water and remember to use the antibiotic ointment as prescribed.

As this is a minor procedure which only involves surgery on the eyelid and not the eye, it should not affect your ability to work.

Benefits of surgery

The inflamed chalazion will be drained.

Risks of surgery

• Your eyelid might be swollen and bruised for several days after your operation but this should settle after two weeks.
• There is a risk of infection, but after the operation you will be given antibiotic ointment to apply, which should help prevent this.
• A chalazion can come back after being removed. If this happens, please apply a warm compress to your closed eyelid. If it continues to persist then seek further medical advice.

Alternatives to surgery

A small proportion of the chalazions will form hard lumps on the eyelid, which, if present for a few weeks can be incised and drained under local anaesthetic. This chalazion removal procedure will leave no visible scarring.

As an alternative to chalazion cyst surgery, a doctor may administer a corticosteroid steroid injection into the hardened chalazion, which can potentially result in lightening of the skin surrounding the area.