Lid/Orbit
Chalazion
Also known as: Meibomian cyst, tarsal cyst, lid cyst, painless lid lump, eyelid lump, Meibomian gland cyst, lipogranuloma
Filed as: Routine
Source-cited from the record's own evidence list. Clinical content programme led by Dr Ankit Mathur, PhD, Grad Cert Ocu Thera, B.S. Optom. How the clinical content is governed
Clinical decision support only
Overview
A chronic lipogranulomatous inflammation of the eyelid caused by obstruction of a Meibomian gland and leakage of lipid into the tarsal stroma. The most common cause of a painless lid lump. Usually benign and self-limiting, but requires I&C if persistent.
Recognition
Symptoms: what patients report
- A gradually enlarging, non-tender lump in the eyelid.
- No significant pain unless secondarily infected.
- Possible mild irritation or foreign-body sensation if the chalazion is pointing internally.
- Blurred vision if a large chalazion is pressing on the globe (induced astigmatism).
- History of similar episodes — chalazia tend to recur, especially in patients with Meibomian gland dysfunction.
Signs: what the examination shows
- Firm, smooth, round nodule palpable within the eyelid tarsus.
- Overlying skin is freely mobile.
- Non-tender to palpation.
- Pointing may be visible on the inner tarsal surface (internal chalazion) or occasionally on the external skin surface.
- No associated lid erythema unless secondarily infected.
- Possible astigmatism if chalazion is large.
What OptoGuide™ covers for chalazion
- Pattern reasoning: what this combination of findings points to, and its differentiators
- Don't-miss risks and escalation triggers
- Management tiers with linked Australian therapeutics
- Referral urgency, specialty, and letter drafting
Sources
- Chalazion (Meibomian cyst) — College of Optometrists CMG
- Anterior Eye Disease and Therapeutics A-Z (Bruce & Loughnan) — standard reference text
- Accuracy of the Clinical Diagnosis of Chalazion. Ozdal PC, Codère F, Callejo S, Caissie AL, Burnier MN. Eye (London, England). 2004;18(2):135-8.
- Clinicopathological characteristics, diagnostic challenges, and systemic implications of metastatic tumors to the eyelid: a systematic review. Bhanvadia V, Mehta S, Joshi U, Baisil S, B SK. Graefe's Archive for Clinical
- Sebaceous Carcinoma of the Eyelid: 21-Year Experience in a Nordic Country. Niinimäki P, Siuko M, Tynninen O, Kivelä TT, Uusitalo M. Acta Ophthalmologica. 2021;99(2):181-186.
Standard texts: Kanski's Clinical Ophthalmology: A Systematic Approach, The Wills Eye Manual, Oxford Handbook of Ophthalmology, Oxford American Handbook of Ophthalmology, Signs in Ophthalmology: Causes & Differential Diagnosis.