Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsAt-Home TreatmentCausesRemovalChronic ChalazionWhen to See a Provider
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
At-Home Treatment
Causes
Removal
Chronic Chalazion
When to See a Provider
Achalazionis a swollen, pain-free lump on the eyelid. It gradually forms when the meibomian gland, a sebaceous (oil) gland, is blocked. A chalazion is sometimes called an eyelid cyst or a meibomian cyst.
A chalazion might be painful at first, but the pain will subside quickly. Most chalazia (the plural of chalazion) form on the underside of the upper eyelid.While rare, they can sometimes form on the lower eyelid. Chalazia can affect anyone regardless of age, although they are less common in children than adults.
They are benign (harmless) bumps that are not cancerous. A chalazion can often be treated at home. However, you’re encouraged to see a healthcare provider, such as an eye specialist, for diagnosis and treatment if it lasts longer than a couple weeks.
This article will explain the differences and similarities between a chalazion and a sty, what causes a chalazion to develop, treatment, removal, and more.
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Chalazion: A Cyst, Bump, or Sty?
It can sometimes be difficult to tell the difference between a chalazion and asty. Both look like bumps or cysts, but they are different.
Interestingly, if a sty is not adequately treated, it may become a chalazion.This is because the sty can prevent the eyelid’s oil glands from draining.
Bump on the Eyelid
Similarities
Chalazia and sties can look very similar. Both can cause tenderness, redness, and swelling, but sties are more painful.
But if there is pain, tenderness, swelling, or burning, they might diagnose the eyelid bump as a sty.
While the causes of chalazia and sties are very different, both can start in the meibomian gland of the eyelid. The other location a sty can develop is in an eyelash hair follicle.
Sometimes, these bumps go away without treatment.Self-care measures, such as warm compresses, can help speed up the healing process. If self-care methods don’t work, your healthcare provider can offer medicinal treatments or surgery.
How to Get Rid of a Stye
Differences
A chalazion is not typically painful and does not always cause swelling. On the other hand, a sty is very painful. Since it is related to aninfection, it can cause swelling in the entire eyelid.
Additional symptoms of a sty include:
Bacterial infectionsare often the cause of sties. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the infection starts due to bacteria in an eyelash hair follicle or a meibomian gland of the eyelid.
What Are the Differences Between Chalazion and a Stye?
A Word From VerywellThe consistency of a chalazion upon touch is very important to decide the type of treatment. A harder, encapsulated, pebble type usually won’t respond to topical treatment, while the softer, pea type usually resolves with topical treatment. Topical treatments are tried first with all chalazia before attempting invasive techniques.—ANDREW GREENBERG, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
A Word From Verywell
The consistency of a chalazion upon touch is very important to decide the type of treatment. A harder, encapsulated, pebble type usually won’t respond to topical treatment, while the softer, pea type usually resolves with topical treatment. Topical treatments are tried first with all chalazia before attempting invasive techniques.—ANDREW GREENBERG, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
The consistency of a chalazion upon touch is very important to decide the type of treatment. A harder, encapsulated, pebble type usually won’t respond to topical treatment, while the softer, pea type usually resolves with topical treatment. Topical treatments are tried first with all chalazia before attempting invasive techniques.
—ANDREW GREENBERG, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
What Makes a Chalazion Go Away?
A chalazion can sometimes resolve without treatment. According to a 2023Scientific Reportsarticle, in about 25% to 50% of cases, a chalazion will be self-limiting, meaning it will resolve (with or without treatment) in about one to three months.
Self-care and at-home therapies can help soften the oil blockage. When the blockage is reduced, the chalazion will shrink until it is completely gone.
Massage can also help clear the gland.Massage the affected eye area with a clean finger.
In addition, consider an over-the-counter (OTC) treatment.Eyewashesandeyelid wipescan help keep the affected area clean and reduce oil blockage in the chalazion.
If a chalazion does not improve with home treatment, contact a healthcare provider or eye specialist such as an optometrist. They can prescribe antibiotic eye drops or aneye ointmentto manage pain or other symptoms.
If the chalazion does not go away on its own, your healthcare provider may recommend asteroid injectionor surgery to treat it.A steroid injection can reduce inflammation and swelling, while surgery can drain the chalazion to help it heal.
In many cases, a chalazion will disappear as it heals, but this takes time. Left untreated, a chalazion could become infected, leading to discomfort or affecting vision. If your chalazion does not heal within a few weeks, consult a healthcare provider.
Do Not Pop a ChalazionYou should let a chalazion heal naturally. Do not attempt to pop or squeeze it. To reduce the risk of infection, you should also avoid wearing eye makeup or contact lenses while the eyelid is healing.
Do Not Pop a Chalazion
You should let a chalazion heal naturally. Do not attempt to pop or squeeze it. To reduce the risk of infection, you should also avoid wearing eye makeup or contact lenses while the eyelid is healing.
Chalazia typically do not need antibiotic treatment. But if the chalazion becomes infected, you may need an antibiotic ointment or an oral antibiotic.
Various antibiotics are available to treat an infected chalazion that your primary care provider, an optometrist, or anophthalmologistcan prescribe. An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor who diagnoses and treats eye diseases, performs eye surgery, and prescribes eyeglasses and contact lenses to correct vision problems.Optometristsare also able to diagnose and treat chalazia.
Ophthalmologist vs. Optometrist: What’s the Difference?
What Makes Chalazion Appear?
Your meibomian glands are located within the eyelids, near the eyelashes. They produce an oily lubricant that prevents the drying of the tear film, the thin layer of tears covering thecornea(the outer surface of the eye).A chalazion may form if the oil inside a meibomian gland starts to thicken.
Chalazia are sometimes a complication of an inflammatory condition.Such conditions include:
Chalazia might also be associated withviral conjunctivitisand can lead to follicular conjunctivitis.Conjunctivitisis often referred to as pink eye.
Follicular conjunctivitis is the inflammation of theconjunctiva(the fine, transparent layer of the eye). Symptoms include:
How to Remove a Chalazion
You may need surgery to remove a chalazion if it does not go away in a few weeks or if it blocks your vision. You may also consider surgery if the chalazion is large, you have more than one chalazion on the same eyelid, or you feel like the bumps on your eyelid affect your appearance.
Surgery to remove a chalazion is an incision and curettage procedure.It takes place in an eye clinic or the office of your ophthalmologist.
The incision and curettage procedure starts with the healthcare provider numbing the skin around the affected eye.This is either done with anesthetic drops in the eye or an injection in the eyelid.
A lid clamp will hold the eyelid in place and allow the healthcare provider to make a cut on the inside of the eyelid. The provider will then drain the contents of the chalazion. Once complete, the eye clamp is removed, and an antibiotic ointment and an eye patch are applied to prevent infection.
Chalazion surgery requires no stitches.The eyelid may feel sore, and there may be some bruising. To prevent infection, you will need to keep the eye covered for at least one week. Your healthcare provider will also prescribe antibiotic creams and eye drops.
The surgery to remove a chalazion is generally safe, but risks are possible and may include:
Chalazion Surgery: Everything You Need to Know
Chronic Chalazion and Minimizing Recurrence
While rare, chalazia can recur.This typically is the case when there ischronic inflammationin the eyelid. Chronic blepharitis, seborrheic dermatitis, and acne rosacea can also lead to chronic chalazia.
Should you experience recurrent chalazia, you will want to be under the care of an ophthalmologist.
When to Consult a Healthcare Provider
If a chalazion does not go away with at-home treatment, contact an eye specialist. optometrist, or an ophthalmologist. They can check your eyelid and confirm whether you have a chalazion or another eyelid bump, such as a sty. They can also recommend treatments, including draining and removing the chalazion surgically.
Additional reasons to reach out to an ophthalmologist for a chalazion include if the chalazion:
Signs of an infection are:
You should also contact your provider if the chalazion goes away and then returns. They can prescribe treatments to manage symptoms, reduce inflammation in the eyelid, and manage any inflammatory conditions that may be contributing to recurrences.
Types of Eye Doctor Specialists
Summary
Chalazia can look like sties, but sties are the result of a bacterial infection and can cause severe pain. Symptoms of chalazion are mild irritation when the chalazion first develops, blurred vision if the chalazion is large, and a swollen eyelid. An untreated sty can become a chalazion.
You should see an optometrist or ophthalmologist to diagnose and treat a chalazion that does not disappear on its own or with at-home treatments. At-treatments include warm compresses and good hygiene. Do not try to pop the chalazion; it needs to heal on its own.
An ophthalmologist or in many cases, an optometrist, can prescribe a steroid injection to reduce swelling of the eyelid. Drainage surgery may be needed if the chalazion is very large, affects vision, or impacts your physical or emotional health in another way.
Chalazia can recur, especially in people at an increased risk for them. The best way to prevent recurrence is through handwashing, safe contact lens care, face washing, not using old makeup, and not sharing makeup with others.
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16 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.The College of Optometrists.Chalazion (meibomian cyst).American Academy of Ophthalmology.Chalazion.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Chalazion management: evidence and questions.American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is the difference between a stye and a chalazion? Causes, symptoms, treatment.Zhu Y, Zhao H, Huang X, et al.Novel treatment of chalazion using light-guided-tip intense pulsed light.Sci Rep. 2023;13(1):12393. doi:10.1038/s41598-023-39332-xKaiser Permanente.Styes and chalazia.American Academy of Opthalmology.What Is an ophthalmologist vs optometrist?American Optometric Association.Chalazion.National Eye Institute.How tears work.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Seborrheic dermatitis.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Ocular rosacea.John Hopkins Medicine.Blepharitis.Chévez-Barrios P. American Academy of Ophthalmology.Papillary versus follicular conjunctivitis.NYU Langone Health.Surgery for stye.Alsuhaibani AH, Al-Faky YH.Large anterior orbital cyst as a late complication of chalazion surgical drainage.Eye (Lond).2015;29(4): 585–587. doi:10.1038/eye.2014.339American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus.Chalazion.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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