Neoplasms in the form of a cyst can appear in any part of the body, including the eyes. Most often, a benign neoplasm is formed on the conjunctiva of the eyeball, on a thin film that covers the eye from the outside. In some cases, the cyst may be on the eyelid. Education may vary in form, nature of origin, and also in treatment methods. A benign tumor does not pose a particular danger, but can adversely affect vision, especially if it begins to grow.
Education Description
Cysts in the eye can be primary, secondary, or hereditary. Primary are most often diagnosed at an early age in those who suffer from myopia. In some cases, they occur in older people (age from 50 to 60 years) due to the onset of degenerative processes in the body. The secondary form of the tumor appears exclusively when another pathological process acts on the eyeball.
Main forms
Specialists identified the following varieties of cysts in the eye:
- degenerative (acquired, senile) can be typical or reticular;
- resulting from heredity;
- secondary forms of neoplasms that appear due to diseases;
- vascular lesions (occlusion of the central retinal vein, retinopathy of premature infants);
- inflammatory processes (peripheral and chronic uveitis);
- congenital diseases (Coates disease, pit in the optic disc)
- injuries sustained (blunt head trauma, retinal hemorrhages in infants);
- oncology (malignant melanoma, combined hamartoma)
- various pathologies (aplastic anemia);
- teratogenic diseases that appear with the use of diphenyl dihydropyrimidine.
The clinical picture of the disease
It is not difficult to understand that a benign mass has appeared on the outer shell of the eye. In this case, with an external examination and diagnosis, you can easily notice a small bubble with liquid inside the eye. The size of the cyst in the eye will directly depend on the rate of its growth, localization and duration of appearance. All forms of cystic tumors most often grow for a long time and do not bring a person any pain symptoms.
But in some cases, such an education leads to the following symptoms:
- feeling of squeezing eyes;
- pronounced redness of the conjunctiva;
- discomfort when blinking;
- impaired vision of a sick eye, image nebula, imbalance in focus;
- floating flies and circles appear before the eyes;
- sometimes there is a feeling that something is in the eye.
There were cases when the cyst appeared after awakening, resolved, and the next morning it reappeared in its former place. This form of cyst does not lead to loss of vision and does not reduce acuity. In some cases, the formation in the eye provokes dull pain, which only begins to increase with increased intracranial pressure.
Main types
Cysts of the eye can be divided into the following types:
- post-inflammatory;
- spontaneous
- dermoid;
- exudative;
- degenerative
- pigmented (extends to the conjunctiva of the eye and iris).
A dermoid cyst can lead to displacement of the eyeball, which is most often manifested at an early age. There is no point in treating such a cyst with drugs. Such a formation can appear in a person at any age. Despite the distinctive signs of the cyst and its pronounced appearance, the doctor can accurately determine the disease only after a full diagnosis. A simple and not seemingly dangerous benign tumor as a result can lead to severe problems with vision. Having determined the exact cause of the appearance of a cyst in the eye, the treating specialist will understand what treatment is best prescribed for the patient to improve the condition and quickly eliminate the disease.
Reasons for the appearance
Most often, a benign neoplasm occurs due to complications or previous diseases of an infectious nature: scleritis or conjunctivitis.
Common causes of eye cysts:
- Heredity. A newborn may already be with a cyst, or it will appear with him already at school age, when the separation of the iris begins. Such formations also often lead to chronic diseases in a pregnant woman, intoxication of the body with alcohol or drugs during gestation.
- Getting injured, the onset of inflammation or a parasitic process. Small bubbles with fluid inside can occur in the eye after the ingestion of foreign objects, surgery or after prolonged friction.
- Uncontrolled medication for the eyes.
- As a consequence of complications after glaucoma. As a result of the disease, a person may have an exudative or degenerative cyst.
The sudden appearance of benign neoplasms in the eyes is still not fully understood. Science cannot explain why such an outgrowth occurs in healthy people for no reason. A growth is formed from the cells of the embryo, so the cyst includes pieces of hair, nails and other skin particles. The dermoid cyst of the conjunctiva of the eye forms for a long time, and when pressed, it quickly changes its location.
Treatment methods
The choice of method for treating an ocular cyst will directly depend on its location, proliferation rate and nature of origin. Sometimes ophthalmologists do not take any action, but simply monitor the development of education, as in many cases it takes place on its own.
All methods of treating eye cysts can be divided into the following groups:
- Drug treatment - the method is effective only when a cystic tumor has arisen as a result of an infectious lesion.
- The use of folk recipes - a method of treating herbal tinctures does not always give the desired effect, but they are used quite often.
- Carrying out the operation of the eye cyst - a benign mass can be removed by surgery if it grows rapidly and increases significantly in size, the main indication for removal will be a dermoid cyst.
- Laser removal - this procedure is performed in the presence of a small cyst and if other methods of treatment did not help get rid of the formation.
Doctors know many varieties of cysts. In addition to formations on the mucous membrane, there are cysts that form on the eyelid and under the eyelid. The exact type of cyst can be determined by the attending specialist. The choice of treatment method is best also entrusted to a qualified doctor who will conduct a thorough diagnosis beforehand.
Cyst on the eyelid
The appearance of a cyst on the eyelid is not accompanied by severe symptoms. But if you gently massage the affected area, you can easily find a small and painless nodule on the upper or lower eyelid. After a few weeks, the cyst can pass on its own. If this does not happen, then there is a high chance that education will increase in size (it will resemble a large pea). In this case, the neoplasm can be easily determined by examining the appearance of the patient.
Most often, the cyst does not bring pain symptoms, and also does not impair vision. But with the addition of a secondary infection, the situation changes dramatically, there is a feeling of pain and a feeling of deformation of the eyelid, visual acuity worsens. The formation itself is characterized by swelling and inflamed color. In the center of the cyst, in some cases, a yellowish area can be seen.
Possible diseases
The main reason for the appearance of a cyst in the lower eyelid is a violation of the outflow of the contents of the sebaceous glands, which leads to clogging of the current. In this case, a large amount of secretion of thick consistency accumulates in a certain area, near which a dense capsule begins to form over time. Not the last role in the whole process is played by the viscosity of the secret, which becomes so thick that it cannot pass on its own. Photos of cysts on the eyelid show the severity of the disease.
Reasons for the appearance of a cyst (halazion):
- diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (gastritis, colitis, dysbiosis, pancreatitis);
- damage to the eyelids (demodicosis, barley and blepharitis);
- the onset of an allergic process (conjunctivitis).
At an early stage of development, the neoplasm may not communicate about itself in any way.
Treatment
Treatment of cysts on the eyelid of the eye occurs after a thorough diagnosis. For this, the size of the formation, as well as the degree of inflammation, is established. If the neoplasm is small, and there are no symptoms of infection, then you can use simple medications. Most often, different ointments and aseptic eye drops are used for this. In some cases, the doctor additionally prescribes physiotherapy (eyelid massage, use of compresses, warming up).
But in the presence of symptoms of the inflammatory process, all physiotherapeutic measures immediately cease, as they can lead to rupture of the cyst and provoke an abscess and the spread of infection to nearby tissues. If there are symptoms of infection, antibiotic treatment should be given.
Education removal
In the worst case, the treating specialist appoints the patient an operation on the cyst of the eye using traditional surgical techniques or by laser husking. In addition to the formation itself, the capsule is also removed in this case. The procedure begins after local anesthesia through the introduction of an anesthetic near the area of education. After that, the doctor opens the cyst and eliminates halazion together with nearby tissues. At the end of the procedure, stitches are applied to the affected area and a tight bandage is tied.