Eyelid Conditions

Trichiasis

Trichiasis is a common eyelid condition where the eyelashes grow inwards and come into contact with your cornea, the conjunctiva and inner eyelid which can cause irritation. Trichiasis is caused by a variety of factors such as eye infections, eye trauma, autoimmune disorders or inflammation of the eye.

Symptoms:

Redness of the eye
Irritation of the eye
Sensitivity towards bright light

Treatments:

In our office we treat trichiasis electrolysis, to read more about it click here.
Cryosurgery, where your lashes are removed by freezing the follicles.

If you are experiencing any symptoms or want to see what treatments are right for you please contact us to make an appointment.

Chalazion

A chalazion is a swollen bump on the eyelid. It forms when the eyelid’s oil gland clogs up. Chalazions may form as styes at first with little or no pain. The difference between a stye and a chalazion is that a stye is usually very painful and often appears at the eyelid’s edge. The cause is usually an infected eyelash root and the swelling may affect the entire eye. A chalazion is not usually painful and develops farther back on the eyelid than a stye. It will rarely cause the entire eyelid to swell.

Symptoms:

A bump on the eyelid, sometimes becoming red and swollen. Occasionally it can be tender.
Rarely: an entirely swollen eyelid
Blurry vision, if the chalazion is large enough to press on the eyeball

Treatments:

Warm compresses:
- This warm compress helps the clogged oil gland to open and drain. To do this, soak a clean washcloth in hot water and hold it to your eyelid for 10-15 minutes at a time, 3-5 times a day. Another option would be gently massaging around the area with your clean finger to help clear the gland itself.
Antibiotics
If your chalazion is very swollen, your ophthalmologist may give you a steroid shot of cortisone to reduce the swelling.
If your chalazion affects vision or does not go away, you may need to have it drained. This surgery is done in the ophthalmologist’s office using local anesthesia.
If the chalazion comes back time after time, your ophthalmologist may biopsy it. A biopsy is where a tiny piece of tissue is removed and studied. This will help your ophthalmologist check if there’s a more serious underlying eye problem.
Do not squeeze or try to pop a chalazion or stye. Doing so could spread infection into your eyelid. Do not wear eye makeup or contact lenses while having an active stye or chalazion.

If you are experiencing any symptoms or want to see what treatments are right for you please contact us to make an appointment.

Chalazion

Blepharitis

Blepharitis is inflammation of the eyelids. It is very common, especially among people who have oily skin, dandruff or rosacea. When there is a lot of bacteria at the base of the eyelash, this can cause dandruff-like flakes to form. Some people may have problems with oil glands in their eyelids, leading to blepharitis. Even though it may feel uncomfortable, blepharitis is usually not contagious and does not cause any permanent damage to eyesight.

There are two types of blepharitis:

Anterior blepharitis which occurs at the outside front edge of the eyelid where the eyelashes attach. Anterior blepharitis is commonly caused by bacteria or dandruff of the scalp and eyebrows. If bacteria becomes excessive or the lid area reacts poorly to their presence, an infection may occur.

Posterior blepharitis which affects the inner edge of the eyelid that touches the eyeball. Posterior blepharitis can occur when the glands of the eyelids irregularly produce oil. This creates a favorable environment for bacterial growth. It can also develop from rosacea and scalp dandruff.

Symptoms:

Redness of the eyelids
Irritated and itchy eyelids
Dandruff-like scales on the eyelashes
Gritty or burning sensation in their eyes
Excessive tearing
Dry eyes
Blurring vision
Missing or misdirected eyelashes
Inflammation of other eye tissue
Progression of blepharitis can lead to stye formation

Treatments:

Warm compresses
- A clean washcloth in warm water should be placed over your closed eyes for at least one minute. This will help loosen the flakes sticking around your eyelashes. It also helps keep nearby oil glands from clogging.
Eyelid scrubs
- Soak a clean washcloth, cotton swab, or lint-free pad in baby shampoo diluted in warm water. Use it to gently scrub the base of your eyelashes and scrub for about 15 seconds.
Your ophthalmologist may have you use an antibiotic ointment on your eyes. Your doctor might also prescribe an antibiotic medicine for you to take by mouth.
Eye drops
- Artificial tears or steroid eye drops may reduce redness, swelling and dry eye. Your ophthalmologist might prescribe an antibiotic eye drop to help the oil glands work better.
It is very important to keep your eyelids, skin and hair clean. This keeps your blepharitis symptoms under control. Carefully wash your eyelashes every day with baby shampoo diluted in warm water. Antibacterial shampoo and antiseptic sprays can be used to prevent bacteria from growing too much.

If you are experiencing any symptoms or want to see what treatments are right for you please contact us to make an appointment.

Styes

Styes are usually the result of a bacterial infection that can cause a painful small, red bump underneath the eyelid or towards the base of the eyelashes. There are two types of styes both of which can have symptoms ranging from pain and itchiness.

There are two types of styes:

External hordeolum is a stye that forms at the base of your eyelash usually caused by a hair follicle infection. This stye tends to look like a pimple growing at the base of your eyelids.

Internal hordeolum is the result of an infection of an oil-producing gland in your eye. Like the name suggests this type of stye forms underneath your eyelid.

Symptoms:

Red, painful bump around the eyelid
Sensitivity towards light
Itchiness in the eye
Small pus spot towards the center of the bump
Foreign body sensation
Eyelid crusting along the dge of the eye
Potential swelling of the entire eyelid

Treatments:

Warm Compress: with a clean washcloth soak it in warm to hot water wring out the excess water and place it on the affected eye for 10-15 minutes for about 3-5 times a day. Continue this until your ophthalmologist tells you to stop.
Antibiotic treatment: Your ophthalmologist may prescribe you antibiotics for the affected eye.
Surgical removal: If the stye comes back often the ophthalmologist may opt to conduct a biopsy. Your ophthalmologist will remove it and send it to a lab for testing.
Do not attempt to pop your stye, this can lead to further infection of your eyelid. Do not wear contact lenses or eye make up while you have a stye as this can potentially worsen the situation.

Ptosis

Ptosis is when the upper eyelid droops over the eye. The drooping may be mild or so much that it covers the pupil (center of your eye that lets light in). Ptosis can limit or completely block normal vision.

There are two types of ptosis:

Congenital Ptosis which children are born with ptosis is caused by problems with the muscle that lifts the eyelid (levator muscle). The most obvious sign of ptosis is a drooping eyelid. Another sign is when the upper eyelid creases do not line up evenly with each other. A child with ptosis may tip their head back, lift up their chin, or raise their eyebrows to try to see better. These movements to compensate for vision may cause head and neck problems over time. Ptosis also puts the child at risk at for other eye problems such as lazy eye or astigmatism.

Involutional Ptosis where adults may get ptosis when the levator muscle stretches or separates away from their eyelid. This can be cause by an eye injury or simply aging. It may also be a side effect after a certain eye surgery. In rare cases, diseases or tumors can affect the eyelid muscle, ultimately causing ptosis.

Symptoms:

Drooping of the upper eyelids. This can be in just one eye, or it may affect both eyes.
can also result in both dry eyes and watery eyes
obstructed vision
people with severe ptosis find themselves tilting their heads back to speak.
tiredness and aching around the eyes

Treatments:

For congenital ptosis:
- Your ophthalmologist will consider the following factors when deciding the best way to treat ptosis in children:
- - The child’s age
  - Whether one or both eyelids are involved
  - The eyelid height
  - The strength of the eyelid’s muscle
  - The eye’s movements
- In most cases, surgery will be recommended. This is to either tighten the levator muscle or attach the eyelid to other muscles that can help lift the eyelid. The goal is to improve their eyesight.

For involutional ptosis:
- This surgery will be done as an outpatient procedure. A local anesthesia will be used to numb your eye and the area around it. Depending on the severity, the surgeon may only need to make a small adjustment to the lid’s lifting muscle. For more severe cases, the levator muscle may need to be strengthened and reattached to the eyelid.

If you are experiencing any symptoms or want to see what treatments are right for you please contact us to make an appointment.

Dermatochalasis

Dermatochalasis refers to the loose and redundant skin that forms, generally on the upper eyelid, as patients get older. Generally happening with middle age patients and older, dermatochalasis can cause parts of your visual field to be obstructed due to the physical blockage from your eyelids. Dermatochalasis has the potential to lead to other eye conditions such as blepharitis, dermatitis, or just basic irritation to the eye.

Symptoms:

redundant eyelid skin
obstruction of parts of your vision

Treatments:

In some cases where the eyelid (upper or lower) is obstructing too much of your vision blepharoplasty surgery can be done to remove the excess skin. This surgery is sometimes done for aesthetic reasons too.

If you are experiencing any symptoms or want to see what treatments are right for you please contact us to make an appointment.