Chalazion (from Greek - knot, hail) is characterized by chronic proliferative inflammation of the eyelid with the circle of the meibomian gland, developing under the condition of blockage of its derived channel and accumulation of secret in it. The meibomian glands are located in the very thickness of the cartilage, have a cylindrical structure and open their outgoing ducts to the inner surface of the eyelid. In any century, there are about 50-70 glands that produce the outer (lipid) layer of the tear film. The role of the meibomian glands is to maintain the moisture of the eyeball and prevent the evaporation of tears from the surface of the eye.
In ophthalmology, halazion is considered a widespread pathology. The disease can affect people of absolutely all ages, but is more common among adults thirty to fifty years old.
Ointments
Treatment of halazion without surgery with drugs is carried out quite often. It should be noted that in this situation it is very important to carry out the correct qualified diagnosis, since symptom chalazion is easily confused with barley, but these are two completely different pathologies. Naturally, they require completely different therapies.
As a rule, halazion has a chronic form, and periodically on the eyelid a new inflamed node occurs. Therefore, it is necessary to navigate among existing pharmacological preparations in order to find the right one in time. Below are the most commonly used ointments from halazion.
Phloxal
"Phloxal" - an ointment based on the antibiotic ofloxocin - is used at the initial stage of the disease. This drug is a universal remedy both for halazion and for barley, due to its antimicrobial properties, it is not toxic. The ointment is laid for the lower eyelid, while applying the ointment must be immediately on both eyes, since the inflammatory process is already running.
"Tetracycline ointment"
"Tetracycline ointment" is a broad-spectrum antibiotic used in inflammatory processes, infections and bacterial pathologies of the eye. The use of the ointment is carried out both by laying behind the lower eyelid, and by lubricating the eyelid from the outside. It should be noted that the above ointments, in addition to the direct treatment of the inflammatory process, can be used as prophylactic agents. However, these ointments should be used only after consulting with your doctor in order to avoid side effects and clarify contraindications.
"Hydrocortisone ointment"
"Hydrocortisone ointment" - a drug that promotes the outflow of accumulated secretion from the capsule (gradients), relieves inflammation, alleviates pain, and reduces swelling. At home, the ointment is applied to the lower eyelid and the skin around the affected area after a warming (gauze soaked in warm water) compress. In addition, the ointment can be laid over the lower eyelid and gently massage. For greater effectiveness, the drug is used several times a day for several days. When treating with "Hydrocortisone Ointment", it must be remembered that it reduces immunity, which can, in turn, lead to fungal and bacterial infections against the background of halazion. Ointment is contraindicated during pregnancy and during lactation.
"Vishnevsky ointment"
"Vishnevsky ointment" (or "Balsamic liniment") is an antiseptic drug that is prescribed by more than one generation of doctors, but does not lose its relevance to this day. The ointment is created on the basis of such a natural component as tar, with the addition of castor oil and xeroform, due to this it has excellent disinfecting properties and promotes the outflow of liquid from halazion. The advantages of “Vishnevsky Ointment” include the fact that it has practically no contraindications and is well tolerated by all age groups.
"Ricinol emulsion"
"Ricinol emulsion" is a mild preparation, due to the high content of oxygen-containing components, it is recommended for use with halazion in children. The emulsion helps relieve pain, reduce swelling and hyperemia, expand clogged ducts.
Levomikol
"Levomikol" is an antibacterial ointment that contains antibiotics and immunomodulators, so it should be used exclusively as directed by a doctor.
To achieve greater efficiency, the use of the above ointments is recommended to be combined with instillation of eye drops of a similar composition.
Drops
For halazion therapy, doctors prefer to use the following drops:
- antibacterial;
- anti-inflammatory non-steroidal origin;
- corticosteroid (hormonal) agents.
Let us dwell on the drugs used.
Antibacterial
Treatment of halazion without surgery in children is carried out with the help of Tobrex drops, because they are allowed for use even by infants, which mothers really like. The active substance of the drug - tobramycin - effectively eliminates bacteria. The duration of treatment is no more than 2 weeks. 2 drops are instilled into the affected eye, making a four-hour interval.
Drops "Floksal", which resist the development of fungus and infection and kill pathogenic microbes, are used for 1-2 weeks, 1 drop 2-4 times a day. It is important to remember that contact lenses should not be worn at this time!
Tsipromed drops do not allow microorganisms to multiply and are used for a maximum of 2 weeks. Every day (5-8 times a day), 1-2 drops should be used, but the severity of the halazion should be taken into account. Only hard lenses are allowed.
Anti-inflammatory non-steroidal
Drops "Diclofenac" - according to reviews, the most powerful anti-inflammatory drug that should be used for 3 weeks, 1 drop 4-5 times a day. Drops "Indocollyr" is forbidden to use for children, women during pregnancy and lactation. Apply these drops 1 drop 3 times a day for a maximum of 4 weeks.
Drops "Nevanak" for the treatment of halazion in a child and an adult are prescribed both for therapy and for the prevention of eye diseases, especially after operations. 3 times a day you need to instill 1 drop for 1-3 weeks.
Hormonal
Treatment without surgery of the lower eyelid halazion can also be carried out using the following means. Drops "Maxitrol" immediately have 3 active substances - dexamethasone, polymyxin and neamycin. In the acute form of halazion, the drug is applied to the eye in 2 drops hourly, but after a while the frequency of administration should be reduced to 4-6 times. The duration of use of the drops should be determined only by the attending physician.
Drops "Dexamethasone" drip 2 drops every hour with acute halazion, gradually reducing the amount of use to 4-6 times and continuing the course for 2-3 weeks.
After pathogenic microorganisms are eliminated through the use of antibiotics, you need to remove the pain and swelling with anti-inflammatory drops of the non-steroid group. Hormonal drugs also remove the inflammatory process, swelling, pain and itching in the eye area.
Surgical intervention
To begin with, let's figure out what is chalazion and whether it is urgently needed to be removed by surgical intervention. Chalazion is a small tumor-like nodule the size of peas, located on the eyelid near the eyelashes. The people call this disease boil or barley. The difference is that halazion is already an advanced form of sebaceous gland disease. The etiology of origin is not fully identified. There is a blockage of the sebaceous glands, which during inflammation cannot break out and harden, bringing some discomfort when the eyelids blink.
The inflammatory process is almost painless. Is it worth it to remove immediately immediately?
No, you can first treat at home, on your own, with the permission of the doctor, applying warm compresses and doing massage. Make the compress with a wet towel in hot water, then it must be applied to the affected area, but not to get burned. Hold for about a minute. After you can use your fingertips to grind the tumor. This procedure is done several times during the day. Thus, massage and heat will help the exudate to go out.
How to identify an ailment
Consider the symptoms of the disease. The most important complaints are itching in the eyelids, swelling, redness of the affected area, possibly some redness of the orbit, allocation of pus. When spontaneous opening of the halazion, the dried exudate is covered with a crust on the skin, and if this happened at night, then the eyelid is stuck, and the eye does not open.
If chalazion inflames very often, causing concern, consult a specialist to remove it and treat it. Removal by surgical intervention occurs by dissecting the inflamed area and scraping the contents. The operation takes place under local anesthesia in an inpatient setting. The operation process lasts about 20 minutes. After an eye ointment is applied, followed by its use until complete recovery. Anti-inflammatory drops are prescribed in the eyeball. The injection of steroids into the center of the tumor also gives a positive result in the treatment, and the inflammatory process goes away on its own. The prognosis for recovery is favorable and does not require additional measures.
Folk remedies
Treatment of halazion with folk remedies without surgery gives pretty good results if the pathology is not neglected. At the same time, the correct diagnosis is important, since directly the halazion of an unprepared person is easy to confuse with barley, and this disease is of a completely different etiology, and the methods of its treatment are different.
Popular means and methods for treating halazion of the century (upper) without surgery can be divided into several types.
Washing with infusions of medicinal herbs. For brewing infusion, herbs such as marshmallow, medicinal chamomile, and cornflower flowers are widely used. Before use, such herbal infusions must be carefully filtered to avoid injuring the mucous membrane of the eye with pieces of grass.
Compresses are another effective way to combat the manifestation of halazion, they improve the outflow of secretion collected in the capsule, have an anti-inflammatory effect, and increase blood circulation. Treatment with compresses is carried out as follows: in a filtered solution, a gauze swab is abundantly moistened and applied to the affected area for at least a week. Compresses for the treatment of halazion in a child and an adult can be done using the following components:
- With infusions of medicinal herbs such as chamomile, raspberry leaves, calendula, cornflower, parsley and dill.
- Compresses using heated linseed oil have a good anti-inflammatory effect.
- Thanks to vitamins and antioxidants, inflammation is well removed from shredded cabbage leaves.
- A compress made from a mixture of rye bread, plantain and milk is effective in the presence of pain and reduces inflammation.
- Curd compress with the addition of low concentration of boric acid (2%).
Separately, it should be noted the treatment of halazion with medicinal aloe juice (or Kalanchoe), which contains a lot of antibacterial and antiseptic agents. Many people share that applying fresh juice from washed leaves for a week gives excellent results.
Warming the affected eye with a hot boiled egg or with a well-heated salt and folded into a dense cloth bag. Patients are advised to carry out such procedures at night, they contribute to the passage of secretions accumulated in the capsule.
The use of twice-daily brewed figs in milk will help in the fight against halazion in its early stages.
You should first consult your doctor regarding the treatment of halazion without surgery. Reviews of folk remedies and medications are sometimes conflicting.