Eye cyst Treatment

What is Chalazion?

Calazion (or Meibomian Eye Cyst) is a small or swollen lump in the eyelid, containing liquid or semi-solid material. this

Conditions are quite common and are caused by blockages in one of the small glands in the eyelids, called the Meibomi gland.

Often, blocked glands become inflamed or infected. This then leads to the swelling of the meibomian gland, called Chalazion or Meibom cyst. Sometimes, cysts (if left alone) can come out or explode spontaneously through the skin of the eye, or through layers in the eyelids. However, this is rare.

Although it is not pleasant, it is easy to treat and should not cause you a big problem with your vision.

What are the signs and symptoms?

You may have one or more of the following symptoms:

• a little inflamed lump that might look unpleasant
• Mild pain or irritation
• swelling, redness and pain, which can be caused by infected chalazion
• Rarely, Chalazion becomes large enough to block a small portion of your vision field
• Chalazion urges the eyeball and causes blurred vision.

What is the treatment?

As the first step in treatment, you will be prescribed antibiotics to reduce inflammation in the eyelids.

Calazion will be very often better without further treatment after several months. However, heat treatment with hot compresses (pad cotton wool which has been soaked in hot water and applied to closed eyelids) can also help. This can actually release the contents of the cyst, which means no further intervention is needed. Please be careful when using a hot compress, to ensure that hot water does not blow up your eyelids.

If the above treatment does not work, a chalazion can be removed with a small operation called ‘incision and

Curettage ‘(I & C). This involves making small pieces to the cyst and then cleans the contents. This is done under local anesthesia, when your skin and the surrounding area numb.

This is a relatively fast procedure (about 20 minutes) and you must be able to go home on the same day. GP You can refer you to this or, if you come to the emergency department, the nurse treats you will be able to arrange appointments. This will be sent to you at the post.

What is the operation involved?

You will be asked to come to the minor eye procedure clinic in outpatient patients. You will then be called by a team member to the minor procedure room. You will be offered your nursing chairs and practitioners or doctors will confirm your details, and eyes that have procedures.

You will be asked to sign an approval form, to confirm that you are happy with the procedure continuing. If you have a problem or concern, it’s important to discuss it with nurse practitioners or doctors before you sign the approval form.

After you sign the approval form, you will be asked to lie on the sofa. You can stay in your clothes.

Sterile sheet, called curtains, will be used to cover the front and up your clothes and your face. Your affected eyes will be left open and we will provide room for you to breathe comfortably. Drape helps protect your clothes so that it is not dirty, and provides a sterile work area for nursing practitioners or doctors to carry out procedures.

Nurse practitioners or doctors will hatch numbness into your affected eyes. They will then inject local anesthesia in your eyelids. Droplets and injections will sting around 10-20 seconds, but will immediately make the numb area.

Nurse practitioners or doctors will then remove the cyst from the inside of your eyelids, through a small incision or pieces (about 3mm).

Cysts are usually discarded, but sometimes it will be sent to the laboratory to be seen under a microscope (biopsy sample) to ensure it is harmless.

You don’t need stitches and no scars that are visible. The nurse or surgeon will then apply some antibiotic ointments to your eyes and will cover it with two eye pads.

What happened afterwards?

You can remove the bearing after 2-3 hours, or you might want to leave it overnight for convenience. Leaving the bearings overnight can also help reduce swelling and bruising eyelids.

Your eyelids tend to be bruised after the procedure – don’t worry, this is normal and it will get better within 2 weeks.

You will be given some antibiotic ointments to use 3-4 times a day for 5 days. We will also give you the leaflets of debit information to go home. You will not need a follow-up appointment.

What is the risk?

This is a simple and safe procedure. Potential risks include bleeding, bruising eyelids and returning cysts.

You can help prevent this from cleaning your eyelids regularly and using a hot compress, even when you don’t have a symptom of Chalazion, and massage your eyelids gently.

If you develop another Chalazion, no need to go to the Emergency Department of the eye. If, after a few weeks, it still disturbs you, you can ask your GP to refer you back to the Minor eye procedure clinic.

You may have an allergic reaction to antibiotic ointments. If this happens, you can see your GP, which will change you to a different antibiotic ointment.