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Eyelids do more than close. Each blink spreads tears across the eye and
washes away dirt and dust, and they shut reflexively when something comes
near. Like any other part of the body they can be infected, swell, or grow
things — including cancer.
The causes vary by type: some eyelid disorders run in families, others happen
for reasons nobody can identify. Sorting them into four groups is the useful
move, because the four have completely different stakes.
1. Infection and inflammation
| What it is | |
|---|---|
| Stye (hordeolum) | A small, red, painful bump — a bacterial infection in an oil gland |
| Chalazion | A painless lump that may form after a stye |
| Blepharitis | Red, itchy or burning lids with crusty lashes; often linked to bacteria or a skin condition such as rosacea |
| Periorbital cellulitis | Bacterial infection of the lid and nearby skin. If it spreads behind the eye — orbital cellulitis — it needs immediate medical care |
Painful versus painless is the first thing to notice, and it is also what
makes group 3 dangerous.
2. Position and movement
- Ectropion — the lid turns outward, exposing the inner surface, causing
irritation or watering. - Entropion — the lid turns inward, so the lashes rub the eye. This one
causes damage, not just discomfort. - Ptosis — a drooping lid, usually from weak muscles, ageing or nerve
damage.
3. Growths, which is where the stakes are
Three of these are harmless and three are cancers:
| Benign | Cancer |
|---|---|
| Xanthelasma — yellowish cholesterol patches near the inner corners | Basal cell carcinoma — the most common eyelid cancer, often on the lower lid |
| Papilloma — a wart-like skin growth | Squamous cell carcinoma — less common, faster growing |
| Sebaceous gland carcinoma — rare, and serious; a cancer of the lid's oil glands |
A sebaceous gland carcinoma begins in the same oil glands that produce a
chalazion. A painless lump that does not resolve is the thing to have looked
at, precisely because at the start it looks like the common, harmless one.
4. Twitching
- Blepharospasm — blinking or twitching you cannot control.
- Myokymia — the minor, occasional twitch most people know, usually from
fatigue or stress.
Symptoms and what is done
Across all four: a feeling that something is in the eye, burning or stinging,
watery or itchy eyes, red swollen lids, blurry vision.
An eye care specialist usually diagnoses these during an eye exam, asking
about medical and family history to find the cause. Some conditions clear on
their own, and some are a sign of another health condition. Keeping the lids
clean prevents a good deal of irritation and infection. Where treatment is
needed it is warm compresses, medicines or ointments, eye drops, occasionally
surgery — and, for the twitching, more sleep and less caffeine.
Source: MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Lizenz: CC0 1.0 (gemeinfrei) · Bearbeitet nach medlineplus.gov
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