Chalazion (Lump on the Eyelid)
A chalazion is a small, usually painless lump in the eyelid caused by a blocked oil gland. It is harmless and is not cancer. Most settle on their own within a few weeks to a few months with warm compresses and gentle massage. One that lasts, grows or keeps coming back should be checked.
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Chalazion at a glance
- What it is
- A lump in the eyelid from a blocked meibomian (oil) gland, also called a meibomian cyst.
- How common
- One of the most common eyelid lumps. It can happen at any age, and more often with blepharitis or rosacea.
- Is it serious?
- Usually not. It is harmless, is not cancer and rarely affects your sight.
- Does it go away?
- Most settle within a few weeks to a few months with warm compresses and massage.
- When to get it checked
- If it lasts more than about two months, grows, blurs your vision or keeps coming back in the same place.
What is a chalazion?
A chalazion (plural chalazia) is a firm, round lump in the upper or lower eyelid. It forms when one of the meibomian glands, the tiny glands in the eyelid that make the oily part of your tears, becomes blocked. The oil builds up behind the blockage and the tissue around it reacts, which creates the lump. It is also called a meibomian cyst or an eyelid cyst.
Because it sits so close to the eye, a chalazion can feel like an eye problem, but it affects the eyelid, not the eye itself. It often starts as a tender, slightly red swelling and then settles into a firm, painless lump. Some can be seen and felt on the skin side of the lid; others form on the inside of the eyelid and only show when the lid is gently turned out.
Chalazion symptoms
A chalazion usually develops slowly, over a few days. You may notice:
A lump in the eyelid
A round, firm lump, usually a few millimetres across, in the upper or lower lid.
Tenderness at first
Mild soreness, redness or swelling in the early days, which usually settles as the lump firms up.
A painless lump afterwards
Once it has settled, most chalazia are painless and only noticed by how they look or feel.
A red or grey patch inside the lid
A chalazion on the inside of the eyelid can look like a red or greyish bump when the lid is turned out.
A heavy or irritated eyelid
Some people feel the lid is heavier than usual, or the eye waters or feels gritty.
Blurred vision, occasionally
A large chalazion on the upper lid can press on the front of the eye and blur vision. This should be checked.
Chalazion causes and risk factors
A blocked oil gland
The direct cause: the opening of a meibomian gland becomes blocked, so the oil it makes cannot drain.
Blepharitis
Long-term inflammation of the eyelid edges is the most common reason the glands block, and the main reason chalazia come back.
Meibomian gland dysfunction
Thick, sticky oil in the glands, often alongside dry eye, makes blockages more likely.
Rosacea
This skin condition often affects the eyelids as well, and people with it get chalazia more often.
Seborrhoeic dermatitis
Oily, flaky skin around the eyebrows and eyelids is linked with blepharitis and blocked glands.
A previous chalazion
Having had one makes another more likely, especially if the eyelid inflammation behind it is not treated.
Eye make-up and lid hygiene
Make-up left on overnight, or old eye make-up, can add to blocked glands in some people.
Rarely, something else
Very rarely, a lump that looks like a chalazion is a different growth, such as an eyelid skin cancer. This is why one that keeps coming back in the same place is checked.
Chalazion or stye?
The two are often confused, and a stye can leave a chalazion behind once the infection settles.
| Chalazion | Stye | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A blocked oil gland inside the eyelid | An infection at the root of an eyelash or a gland at the lid edge |
| Where it sits | Further back in the lid, on the skin side or the inside | On the edge of the eyelid, at the base of a lash |
| Pain | Usually painless once settled | Painful and tender |
| How it starts | Slowly, over days to weeks | Quickly, over a day or two |
| How long it lasts | Weeks to a few months | Often a week or two |
| If it does not settle | A steroid injection or a minor drainage under local anaesthetic | Seen by a GP, who may drain it or refer you |
When to see a doctor about a lump on the eyelid
Most chalazia are harmless and settle with home care. These are the signs that one needs to be looked at.
Get help the same day if
- The eyelid becomes very red, hot, swollen or painful, or the swelling spreads around the eye
- You have a high temperature or feel unwell with a swollen eyelid
- Your vision changes, or the eye itself becomes red or painful
- Pus is coming from the eye
Book an assessment if
- The lump has not settled after six to eight weeks of warm compresses
- It is getting bigger, or pressing on the eye and blurring your vision
- It keeps coming back in the same place
- There is bleeding, a sore that does not heal or lost eyelashes over the lump
- You are not sure it is a chalazion
For the same-day signs, contact your GP, NHS 111 or an eye casualty department straight away.
How a chalazion is diagnosed at Perfect Eyes
A chalazion is diagnosed by examining the eyelid. Most people need no tests.
- Step 1
Your history
Dr Sabrina asks how long the lump has been there, whether it has changed, and about previous chalazia, blepharitis, rosacea and skin conditions.
- Step 2
Examining the eyelid
She examines the lid under a slit-lamp microscope, turning it out to see a chalazion on the inside, and checks the lid edges and oil glands for blepharitis, which decides how likely another one is.
- Step 3
A plan, with a biopsy if needed
You leave with a plan: home care, an injection or a minor drainage. A lump that keeps returning or looks unusual is sent for laboratory testing.
Treatment for a chalazion
Chalazion Removal
For a chalazion that has not settled with home care, Dr Sabrina drains it through the inside of the eyelid under local anaesthetic, in clinic, in about 10 minutes, with no visible scar. A small steroid injection into the lump is an alternative, mainly for a recent chalazion rather than one present for more than three months.
Caring for a chalazion at home
Home care helps the blocked oil soften and drain, and is the first treatment for most chalazia.
What helps
- A warm compress: a clean flannel soaked in warm, not hot, water, held on the closed eyelid for 5 to 10 minutes, 2 to 4 times a day
- Gently massaging the lump towards the lashes for a minute after each compress
- Cleaning the eyelid edges each day with cooled boiled water or a lid wipe, especially if you have blepharitis
- Keeping up daily lid hygiene once it has settled, to make another one less likely
What to avoid
- Squeezing, popping or pricking the lump
- Eye make-up and contact lenses on that eye until it has settled
- Sharing towels or flannels
- Old or out-of-date eye make-up
Meet the Expert: Dr Sabrina Shah-Desai
MS, FRCS (Ed) Ophth
Dr Sabrina Shah-Desai, MS, FRCS (Ed) Ophth is a multi-award-winning Oculoplastic Reconstructive Surgeon and Aesthetic Practitioner specialising in reconstructive, revisional, and cosmetic surgery of the eyelids, as well as non-surgical treatments for the eyes and face. With 25 years of surgical and 17 years of non-surgical experience, she is globally recognised for her pioneering, minimally invasive techniques.
Listed in Tatler’s Beauty & Cosmetic Surgery Guide every year from 2019 to 2026, she is known as the “go-to” surgeon for discerning patients seeking subtle, natural results, and is highly sought after for revisional procedures by those who have undergone previous fillers or eyelid surgeries.
- Listed on the Royal College of Surgeons of England register of Board-Certified Cosmetic Surgeons
- Listed in Tatler’s Beauty & Cosmetic Surgery Guide every year from 2019 to 2026
- 25 years of surgical and 17 years of non-surgical experience
Frequently asked questions
Call or email us today, we would be delighted to answer your questions.
- Conservative measures include applying warm compresses, massaging the lids, and using ointments or drops containing steroids and antibiotics. While applying topical or local steroid drugs, it's important to keep an eye on intraocular pressure and shorten the duration of treatment.
- A chalazion is a chronic, less painful infection of the Zeis or meibomian (oil-secreting) glands on the inside (conjunctival) side of the eyelid. Styes, or hordeola, are painful infectious lesions on the border of the eyelid (eyelash follicles) that appear suddenly and eventually break open and drain.
- Most chalazions do clear up on their own in a few months, requiring no medical attention. Warm compresses should be applied to the eyelid up to six times a day for 10 to 15 minutes each, for several days. Warm compresses can help with drainage and healing because they loosen the hardened oil that is blocking the ducts.
- Although chalazia can be concerning, it is typically not a reason for panic and is easily treated at home. When eyelids are kept clean and well-maintained, most problems resolve themselves. Speak with your eye care professional if a chalazion doesn't seem to be improving and continues to exist.
- Untreated chalazion can take four to six weeks to heal, while some people might get better in just one week. However, a person's immune system, overall health, and ability to repair themselves can all affect how long a chalazion takes to recover.
- Chronic blepharitis that is not treated has the rare potential to permanently harm the eyes and impair vision if ignored for an extended period of time or is not appropriately treated. Individuals suffering from chronic eyelid disease need suitable treatment to prevent major complications like vision loss.
- Chalazion risk may be reduced by avoiding dairy products and following the dietary modification recommendations typically given to acne patients, which include avoiding chocolate, coffee, and fried foods.
- In rare instances, a chalazion might really be malignant. When the oil glands on the eyelid clog, swelling pimples known as chalazion develop on the eyelid. After a few weeks, they normally recover on their own without any pain. Recurrent chalazion, on the other hand, needs to be extracted and regarded as possibly cancerous if it reappears in the same location following successful drainage.
Sources
- ChalazionMoorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Chalazion (meibomian cyst): clinical management guidelinesCollege of Optometrists
- Eyelid problemsNHS
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