Stye or chalazion? Know the differences to understand which one is your case

Eye pain, swelling, difficulty seeing… all of these can be a sign of a stye, but it can also mean that you have a chalazion, as the pathologies are very similar and commonly confused.

The main difference is in the cause: while styes are caused by a bacterial infectionthe chalazion is a inflammation in a sebaceous gland in the eyes🇧🇷 In both cases, however, the skin oil can be a risk factor🇧🇷

“Those who have oily skin are more likely to develop chalazion and stye. In this case, it is very important to perform eyelid hygiene at bath time as a form of prevention with a little neutral shampoo mixed with warm water”, explains Hallim Féres Neto. , ophthalmologist member of the Brazilian Council of Ophthalmology and director of Prisma Visão.

Differences between stye and chalazion

In addition to being pathologies caused by different reactions, chalazion usually does not show redness, just a hard ball on the eyelid that causes mild pain and discomfort. As for evolution, the stye develops like a pimple: grows, becomes painful and after a while bursts or is absorbed by the skin. The chalazion can increase or decrease in size and usually it takes longer to be absorbed, even requiring surgery in some cases.

Check out the main symptoms of the diseases:

Stye

• Swelling in the eyelid;

• Presence of pus in the wound;

• Heat and redness;

• Foreign body sensation;

• Blurry vision;

• tearing;

• Photophobia.

Know more: Symptoms of stye: how to identify and treat at home

chalazion

• Mild pain and swelling;

• Painless granuloma that increases in size;

• If it grows a lot, the chalazion can influence the surface of the cornea, causing a slight astigmatism that usually disappears at the end of the painting.

How to treat stye and chalazion?

According to the specialist, the following tips can help treat and relieve the symptoms of stye and chalazion until the pathologies disappear:

1- Warm compresses for 10 minutes over the eye. The heat helps gland clearancein addition to accelerating the resolution of inflammation or infection;

2- Eye drops without antibiotics or corticosteroids can help to relieve the discomfort, but they do not help to treat the case faster;

3- No make compresses with teas or boricated water. Some tea components can cause even more eye irritation, as does the frequent use of boric acid.

If the symptoms persist or the discomfort is too great, be sure to look for an ophthalmologist to better understand which treatment to follow.