What is the disease of the small swelling in the corner of the eye

Many parents will encounter a sudden swelling in the corner of their children's eyes. They will think it is stye, so they will buy some drops of eye ointment to use. As a result, not only does the condition not improve, but it gets worse. In fact, the cause of the swelling in the corner of the eye is not only stye, also known as sty, but also a chalazion, which is also one of the most common eye diseases in children. The symptoms of the two are relatively similar and are very easy to be confused. Therefore, once the swelling in the corner of the eye occurs, go to the hospital for examination and symptomatic treatment as soon as possible.

Stye is manifested as acute suppurative inflammation of local glands in the eyelids. The causes include bacterial infection causing redness, swelling and inflammation. At the beginning, the itching sensation gradually intensifies, the eyelids become edematous and congested, and there is swelling, pain or tenderness. Chalazion is a cyst formed when the meibomian gland duct is blocked, and the secretions cannot be discharged in time. It slowly develops into a chronic granulomatous inflammation. It is not red or painful, but can last for several months.

When a child develops a chalazion, the early symptoms are not obvious. The lump is sometimes smaller than a grain of rice, making it even more difficult to detect. Parents often only notice the bulge on the surface of the eyelid skin when their children close their eyes. If you don't observe carefully, it is easy to miss something. When parents check themselves, they can ask their children to close their eyes and touch their eyelids with their fingers, and they will find small round and smooth bumps. When the eyelids are turned over, a slightly raised dark red circular lesion can be seen at the corresponding position. Simply put, touching the affected area to see if it hurts is an easy way to distinguish between a stye and a chalazion. However, if a chalazion is complicated by bacterial infection, the early symptoms will be similar to those of a stye. If parents find that their child's eyelids are swollen and tend to get bigger, they should seek medical attention promptly and not delay treatment.

Both styes and chalazions can be treated with hot compresses. Wang Guofeng reminded parents that they should be careful when their children get styes. They can apply hot compresses three to four times a day before the pus is formed to promote suppuration. Mild inflammation can completely disappear after hot compresses. Although there is slight local itching and pain in the early stage, there is no systemic discomfort. At this time, antibiotic eye drops can be used. However, once pus head appears, the child should be taken to the hospital in time for incision and drainage, and do not wait until it breaks on its own. This can reduce the pain of the sick child and shorten the treatment course. However, when pus appears, do not squeeze it with your hands, and do not rub your eyes with dirty hands, so as not to bring bacteria into the eyes and cause infection or even serious complications.

For small chalazions, they can be absorbed and dissipated after continuous hot compresses for one to two weeks. However, for large chalazions, surgical removal can be performed when heat compresses are ineffective.

Children are very susceptible to styes or chalazions. On the one hand, due to children's bad living habits, such as overeating, drinking less water, and picky eating, coupled with the children's active nature, they often rub their eyes with dirty hands, which can easily cause bacterial infections; on the other hand, young children have a faster metabolism, poor immune function, and weak resistance to infection, and are prone to getting angry.

Parents should educate their children not to rub their eyes with dirty hands, pay attention to eye hygiene, try to let their children eat less or no spicy, irritating or greasy food, drink more water, and eat more fresh vegetables and fruits.