Topical treatments / advice regarding chalazion?

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Tom - 12 Dec 2004 21:13 GMT

Hello!

I've got yet another chalazion, this time in my upper eyelid and a little
higher up and less close to the edge. I'm getting really fed up! I'm 35 and
this is 5 chalazions and 4 operations in as many years.

I guess it's off to hopsital again for another cut-out, but I thought I'd just
check a couple of things:

1. Is there a topical treatment that has any sort of success rate?

2. If these things are partly of calcium composition, is there a problem if
eating too much calcium rich food? I can't see giving up broccoli but was
curious.

3. What are the main causes; is it really as basic as stress, working too many
hours in front of a screen and not enough sleep? (I qualify for all three). Any
other causes?

Many thanks,

TAS

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Mike Tyner - 12 Dec 2004 21:36 GMT

> 1. Is there a topical treatment that has any sort of success rate?

Chalazia are distinguished from hordeola (styes) because chalazia don't
involve an infectious agent like staphylococcus, so they aren't generally
painful or visibly inflamed. Hordeola are painful and red, as well as
swollen. So you would expect topical antibiotics to be useless with
chalazia.

> 2. If these things are partly of calcium composition, is there a problem
> if
> eating too much calcium rich food? I can't see giving up broccoli but was
> curious.

Calcium deposition takes a long time and I haven't seen an old chalazion I
could say for sure was calcified. Instead, old chalazia form a long-term
lump of scar tissue called a granuloma. There's not much hope of squeezing
out a granuloma, so they're about as stubborn as calcified lesions.

> 3. What are the main causes; is it really as basic as stress, working too
> many
> hours in front of a screen and not enough sleep? (I qualify for all
> three). Any
> other causes?

Plugged glands cause chalazia. Dunno of any evidence showing that stress,
computers and lack of sleep have anything to do with them.

The trick is to catch them early, heat them vigorously and gently express
them, squeezing toward the lid margin.

Oral tetracyline might make them easier to express, not by antibiotic
activity but because tetracycline changes the nature of the oils in your
meibomian glands. Likewise I'd try a diet high in omega-3 oils, like 4g of
flax oil supplements per day.

-MT

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Tom - 12 Dec 2004 23:02 GMT

>Oral tetracyline might make them easier to express, not by antibiotic
>activity but because tetracycline changes the nature of the oils in your
>meibomian glands. Likewise I'd try a diet high in omega-3 oils, like 4g of
>flax oil supplements per day.
>
>-MT

Many thanks for the advice, I'll certainly think about the oil-rich diet as
that does seem to make sense.

TAS

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