Lump on Daughters Eye

have it seen by a doctor to be sure.

You're right! It's most likely a chalazion. I've had two in the past. Depending on the size and hardness, the eye doctor will ask you if you want it removed. I did the hot compresses extensively both times and they had no effect.

Whatever you do, don't squeeze it or lance it or mess with it too much! It can get bigger! There is really nothing you can do. It's a hard mass once it forms, and it's fused to tissue, so it won't just squirt out or dissolve. I had a pretty large one (size of a bead, but it looked like a pea from the outside of my upper lid) I was surprised how hard the doctor had to "scrape" to get it. I thought it was loose in the duct.

If they do the same for kids as adults, she would have a quick procedure to cut it out from the inside of the lid. The only painful part is when they shoot it to numb it.

Be sure the doctor is experienced in this procedure. If he/she cuts across too many little ducts, the risk of getting new ones increases.
Hopefully hers will go away, but the procedure is fast and easy and not too pricey if not. Usually by two or three weeks you know it's there to stay. Good luck!

Also if it's still small, get "Ocu Soft" at a drug store. It's individual wrapped, textured scrub pads for the eyes. Have her scrub a few times a day to loosen and cleanse. It's better for prevention, but it kept one of mine from getting bigger when it started.

If you've been diligently been doing the warm compresses for a week and it hasn't resolved, I would take her to an ophthalmologist. Monitor her to see if she's developing a fever, flu like symptoms, because that means it could be becoming infected. Good luck!

Hi C.,
My daughter had the same problem, it continued for better part of a year and she was about the same age. I would no sooner get one cleared up and another would appear. I disliked how it looked on her eye so I took her to the eye doctor. He told me that sometimes this stuff goes through cycles and it could continue for 6-12 months but she would grow out of it. He had me do the warm compresses, massage the eye lid 3-4x's a day and Although I cannot remember the name of them, they make individual packaged wipes for the eyes he told me to get to do the massage with. You could probably ask a pharmacist and they would know what they are called. Oh and to keep the eyelid as clean as possible. I hope this helps and good luck.

My son had this when he was 20 months old. It was on his upper eyelid. We did the warm compresses and eye drops and it didn't help. After two weeks we saw a pediatric eye doctor who diagnosed it as a chalazion cyst and we had it removed surgically. Very, Very Very simple procedure. Took literally 5 minutes but he still had to be under anesthesia because of how young he was so I was nervous but we were home within a couple of hours and he was running around like nothing ever happened by lunchtime. There is no scar. Good Luck.

I had multiple chalazions growing up with 2 requiring surgery to remove them: one on the underside of my eyelid and one on the edge, like where you would put eyeliner. The thing with the compresses is that they have to be HOT, not warm. I mean, the hottest she can stand (the worst chalazion I had was when I was 6, so I understand how difficult that can be. I haven't had one in a long time (think teenager age), but every so often I'll get twinges that require a hot compress.

I would recommend an eye doctor as well - you don't want it to get to a point that requires surgery, you know?

My daughter, at the age of 2, had this also. It started out as a tiny lump on her eyelid. I actually thought it was a bug bite until it started getting larger. I took her to the pediatrician who said to do the warm compresses. That didn't work so we were referred to a pediactric eye dr. We tried eye drops & compresses but nothing was helping. The dr. finally decided to sugically remove it because if it remained & got larger it could effect her vision. The surgery went fine & he said that after removing it he noted it wouldn't have gone away on it's own. My daughter did great during & after the surgery. She is now almost 6 & hasn't had another one. Hope this helps. Feel free to email me if you have more questions.