In the article, we will consider how to treat halazion on the upper eyelid.
The disease is an inflammatory disease that affects the meibomian glands, which secrete a secret that moisturizes the eyelids. Chalazion in translation means hardening and pea, and is a chronic disease of the sebaceous glands of the eyelids. At the same time, meibomian gland is blocked , ceasing to act.
About the disease
Chalazion of the upper eyelid in a child is quite common. The resulting swelling, unlike barley, can develop slowly and constantly puts pressure on the eyeball, which can cause unpleasant sensations, reducing the quality of vision, sometimes it can provoke other eye diseases.
At first, the symptoms of the upper eyelid halazion are very similar to the signs of barley: puffiness occurs, which hurts a little, but very soon such symptoms disappear, and a small swelling appears on the site of the edema, which begins to grow. Over time, this formation reaches the size of a pea and becomes dense.
If you turn the eyelid and look at its reverse side, then there is a spot - red or gray. Some patients complain of itching and lacrimation.
There are a lot of reasons for the appearance of a halazion of the upper eyelid:
- Neglecting the rules of personal hygiene, the habit of touching the eyes with dirty hands (this is the most common cause of halazion in childhood).
- Decrease in the body’s immune defenses caused by acute or long-term chronic diseases (diabetes mellitus, cancer, dysbiosis, autoimmune diseases, etc.)
- Prolonged use of contact lenses or improper care of them.
- Imbalance in the psycho-emotional sphere - constant stress, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, etc.
- General hypothermia, colds can cause halazion of the upper eyelid.
- Dermatological diseases (rosacea, seborrheic dermatitis, etc.)
- A large number of cosmetics on the face, frequent wearing false eyelashes.
- Inadequate intake of vitamins and minerals.
- Incorrect or incomplete treatment of barley.
- Very often, halazion develops as a complication of barley, especially against a background of reduced immunity.
- Enhanced sebum production (may be associated with an endocrine system disorder or with the characteristics of the skin of each individual person).
- Chronic blepharitis (an inflammatory process at the edges of the eyelids).
- Failure of the biliary system.
So, next we’ll talk about how to treat halazion on the upper eyelid.
Treatment
There are many different methods, but mainly conservative or surgical treatment. Treatment depends on the time when the disease arose; the severity of the inflammatory processes of this pathology also plays a role. Conservative methods include folk remedies along with the use of medicines, physiotherapeutic agents and injections. Surgical techniques include: scalp surgery and laser surgery.
How to treat halazion on the upper eyelid with conservative methods?
Conservative therapy without surgery
Answering the question of whether it is possible to cure halazion without surgery, we can definitely answer positively. Moreover, sometimes halazion can take place on its own, especially in children. But this is usually not worth the hope. The sooner a person visits a doctor, the easier it will be to treat this pathology without surgery. In the event that the chalazion is small and the person turned to a specialist at the first symptomatology, then the use of simple procedures is enough: medical, folk and physiotherapy. In the framework of the use of medications, eye drops, as well as ointments, are usually used.
How to treat halazion on the upper eyelid is interesting to many.
Eye drops
So, for adults and kids, doctors recommend using the following eye drops from an ailment such as halazion:
- The composition of the drug "Tobrex" includes tobramycin, which has a devastating effect on the bacteria that cause halazion. These drops are used in the treatment of halazion of the upper eyelid in an adult, and in addition, young children. They are intended to destroy bacteria, and in addition, to relieve inflammation.
- Drops "Floksal" differ antimicrobial effect. They are prescribed for adults and newborns. The duration of the effect is ten hours.
- Means "Tsipromed" has an antibacterial effect, the duration of action is six hours. The medicine "Phloxal" and "Tsipromed" is used in the first stages of the disease.
- To relieve swelling along with painful sensations, anti-allergic drops are used, for example, "Opatanol".
- Drops "Diclofenac" is prescribed in the presence of severe inflammation.
- Today, ophthalmologists consider Maxitrol drops to be the most effective medication for halazion therapy, which contain corticosteroids, which are hormones produced by the adrenal glands. They are endowed with three properties at once, namely anti-allergic, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. But you can use such drops only as prescribed by the doctor, because they have quite a few contraindications.
A photo of a halazion of the upper eyelid is presented.
Ointments
Along with the drops, antibacterial ointments are also prescribed:
- Floxal contains a substance called ofloxacin, which destroys bacteria, and unlike other antibacterial drugs, it practically does not have a toxic effect on the body.
- Tetracycline ointment has antibacterial properties and is used in the second stage of the disease.
- Erythromycin ointment has a large antibacterial effect.
- A very effective ointment containing corticosteroids, for example, hydrocortisone. Ointments containing such substances reduce inflammation, along with pain and itching. But they must be used with great care, only the attending physician will be able to prescribe this drug, determine the correct duration of use and determine how many times a day it should be used.
Physiotherapy
At the first stages, physiotherapy treatment is used. With the help of such treatment, it is possible to reduce the initial small chalazion, eliminate the release of pus and achieve the absolute disappearance of the disease. Physiotherapeutic procedural methods include:
- UHF therapy, which is a physiotherapy method, which consists in the action of an electric field of ultrahigh frequencies on the affected area, due to which heat is generated inside the cells. It is quite effective to use this technique with massage. You can not use UHF therapy in the presence of inflammation or with a strong compaction of halazion.
- Magnetotherapy is one of the methods of physiotherapeutic treatment based on the effect of a low-frequency magnetic field. Electrophoresis is a physiotherapeutic treatment.
- Such a procedure as phonophoresis serves as a physiotherapeutic treatment technique, in which ultrasound with medications is simultaneously used. Its advantage is that medicinal components are absorbed specifically into the affected area using ultrasonic vibrations. However, they do not affect adjacent tissue.
How is chalazion injected?
A very effective tool in the treatment of halazion in the presence of an acute or chronic stage is the use of injections. This method consists in the fact that the doctor using a thin needle introduces the drug into the hardening, thereby stimulating the absorbable effect. This method uses drugs that contain corticosteroids, for example, “Diprospan” with “Kenalog”. In the treatment of halazion in children, injections are not used.
Now we turn to the consideration of the use of folk remedies from the halazion of the upper eyelid.
Folk remedies
Many are interested in how to get rid of halazion with the help of folk remedies. This includes various lotions along with compresses and warming. For instance:
- Warm up with dry heat.
- The use of warm compresses.
- The use of lotions from cold infusions.
- Lubrication of the affected eyelid with anti-inflammatory natural agents.
- Eye wash through medicinal infusions.
Dry heat warming
This is a fairly common method, which consists in taking a hot product, for example, a boiled egg, potatoes, heated salt, warm sand or a heating pad, wrap the product in a scarf and apply it to the inflamed area.
Warm compresses
You can quickly cure an inflamed eyelid with warm compresses:
- Perfectly relieves pain from a lotion of bread. To do this, the crumb is soaked in a glass of milk, then it is simmered over low heat for about ten minutes, a tablespoon of dried plantain leaves is added, then the resulting mixture is wrapped in a scarf or gauze and applied to the inflamed area.
- Take a glass of boiling water and a spoonful of dried parsley, calendula flowers and raspberry leaves. All this is poured with boiling water and allowed to infuse. Then the swab is moistened with filtered infusion, applied to the eyelids several times a day.
- Insist a tablespoon of chopped dill in a glass with boiling water, filter, moisten gauze and apply to the affected area.
But it should be remembered that heat treatment should be carried out only at the first stage of the pathology and be sure to consult a doctor.
Cold packs
A good effect in the treatment of halazion, eliminating inflammation and lowering the temperature gives the use of cold compresses:
- Take the cottage cheese and stir it with boric acid, put the mixture on cheesecloth and apply to the eyelid several times a day.
- The cabbage leaf is crushed, mixed with protein, put on a napkin and applied to the affected area several times a day.
Lubrication and massage of the eyelids
Traditional healers recommend lubrication with massage of the affected eyelid in order to relieve inflammation. This is done using the following natural antiseptics:
- The use of aloe. Aloe leaf is taken, juice is squeezed out of it and with the help of massaging movements rub it into the affected area, while the swelling subsides, and at the same time inflammation decreases. The juice of this plant effectively fights infections.
- The use of linseed oil. Flaxseed oil is slightly warmed up and rubbed with massage movements into the affected area, which will quickly remove the existing inflammation.
Flushing
In the treatment of halazion, eye washing is used through anti-inflammatory infusions from herbs, for example:
- They take the root of the medicinal marshmallow, finely chop it, pour it with cooled boiling water, insist for about eight hours.
- A tablespoon of cornflower flowers is brewed with boiling water, insisted for about an hour and filtered.
- Boil the onion on low heat, in 0.5 milliliters of water and add a spoonful of honey.
Rinse eyes with this infusion should be two or three times a day. Even if halazion has just arisen and the pea is still small, folk recipes should be used so that they do not harm and bring only a positive result. Therefore, such treatment should be carried out only after consulting a doctor. Also, all of these recipes are more effective when used in conjunction with medication.
Next, we consider the main ways to remove the halazion of the upper eyelid.
Methods of surgical treatment
If halazion is dense and painless, then in this case, doctors recommend surgical removal. Its removal is carried out in the following two ways: a surgical scalpel and a laser.
Scalpel operation
Let us consider in more detail how to remove the halazion of the upper eyelid.
This operation is performed on an outpatient basis. Its essence is that the doctor dissects hardening under local anesthesia and completely removes the accumulated neoplasm, after which the affected area is treated with antiseptics and a bandage is applied. Here are the steps for performing this operation:
- Conducting antiseptic treatment of the operated area.
- Enter anesthetic into the affected area using a needle.
- The implementation of the fixation of the eyelid with the help of a terminal clamp.
- Perform incision hardening.
- Removing contents and applying iodine mesh to the incision.
- The application of an antiseptic dressing.
The operation is performed for approximately fifteen minutes. At first, a slight swelling may be observed, but after a few days the swelling will pass and the signs of the operation will completely disappear. True, complications in the form of infection or bleeding are possible. Also, postoperative monitoring of the patient will be required, for this it is required to release him for five days from work.
In order to avoid relapse, it is necessary to follow the doctor's recommendations, monitor sterility, do not touch the sore spot with dirty hands, drink immunostimulating drugs. This is especially true for children who are immunocompromised.
Laser removal
Now often began to carry out the removal of the halazion using a laser. Removing occurs in several stages:
- Enter anesthetic with a needle into the affected area.
- Fixing with a terminal clamp.
- Laser hardening dissection.
- Complete removal of the entire neoplasm.
- Laser treatment of a wound.
- The application of an antibacterial ointment.
After this operation, the bandage is not applied, and the blood vessels are sealed with a laser, the infection is removed. But you should additionally observe a number of some rules after the operation:
- Water must be avoided in the eye.
- Do not touch and scratch the operation area.
- It is forbidden to remove the crust formed during healing.
- It is necessary to use all the drugs prescribed by the doctor, strictly observing all the recommendations.
After two days, you need to see a doctor. The advantage of laser therapy over surgical removal is as follows:
- Achieving a high effect.
- Seamlessness along with less trauma, bloodlessness and lack of need for a bandage after surgery.
- Short rehabilitation period (one day).
Reviews of doctors and patients
Doctors in the reviews write that the best treatment for halazion of the upper eyelid in an adult and a child is conservative therapy. Experts are sure that the treatment of this disease should be quick and radical, because the likelihood of complications is very high.
Patients in reviews of a chalazion of the upper eyelid write that with this ailment it is difficult to refrain from the desire to scratch a sore spot, since itching is constantly present, it is especially difficult to withstand children because of this factor. After all, when a halazion comes into contact with dirty hands, an additional infection can be caused and recovery can be complicated.
Reviews on the treatment of halazion of the upper eyelid will be considered below.
Ophthalmologists with immunologists in the reviews emphasize that in the framework of treatment, first of all, it is necessary to determine what causes this disease. Only after this can an effective treatment be prescribed that will eliminate the disease. Doctors in their comments also write that they do not advise treating chalazion with the help of folk remedies, and recommend using yellow mercury ointment to dissolve the formation.
People say that for the treatment of adults, as well as for the treatment of halazion of the upper eyelid in a child, specialists prefer conservative methods, corticosteroid drugs and surgical removal.