There are many reasons you may have a bump on or around your eye. The most common ones are on, or under the lids and are called:
- stye: a small, red, painful lump that grows from the base of your eyelash or under the eyelid due to an infected oil gland or hair follicle. A stye may cause the eye to feel sore and scratchy.
- chalazion: a small, slow-growing lump or cyst that develops within the eyelid. They are not usually painful and rarely last longer than a few weeks. They develop when a meibomian gland at the edge of an eyelid becomes blocked or inflamed. A chalazion can sometimes develop into a stye.
The easiest way for you to get relief is to take the following steps:
- Use a warm compress to reduce swelling and inflammation every day.
- Clean your eyelids every day, twice a day by using a lid scrub or a hypochlorous acid (HOCl) cleansing spray. For lid scrub, we suggest OCuSOFT Lid Scrub Plus instead of the non-plus version because of its stronger anti-bacterial properties. For hypochlorous acid cleansing spray, we like Avenova, which you can buy in-office or on Amazon. The lid spray is more natural and may be better tolerated for people with sensitive skin.
If your stye or chalazion does not resolve itself within a few weeks, please consult your local optometrist for other treatment options and for the best treatment outcome,