PUBLISHED: Incision and Curettage on a Left Upper Eyelid Chalazion

Incision and Curettage on a Left Upper Eyelid Chalazion
Lilit Arzumanian, MD1Alexander Martin, OD2John Lee, MD2
1Vardanats Center for Innovative Medicine
2Boston Vision

A chalazion is a sterile granulomatous inflammation of the Meibomian or Zeiss glands. It results from the obstruction of gland orifices, which leads to accumulation of sebum in the tarsus and eyelid soft tissue. The resulting inflammation causes erythema, pain, and swelling. Patients may note a previous history of similar complaints, as well as a history of rosacea and chronic blepharitis.

Chalazion incision and curettage is a treatment of choice in unresolved chalazia or cases that do not respond to conservative treatments such as warm compress. Chalazion surgery aims to effectively drain the blocked gland and remove the inflamed tissue, providing relief to patients and restoring the natural appearance of the eyelid. This article discusses and demonstrates the preoperative assessment of the patient, the preparation, surgical procedure, and the postoperative care.