Diagnosing and Treating Eyelid and EyeBall Lumps and Bumps

One of the more common eye problems bringing patients to our office is lumps or bumps under the eyelid. The lump can be either painful or not painful, a red bump, or a clear bump on the eyeball itself. Bumps on the eyeball under the lid can appear suddenly or grow slowly. A bump on the eyeball or under the eyelid can be from several causes but to diagnose it properly a patient should call the office and schedule an appointment with the Optometrist to have it examined. On occasion, the bump on the eyelid will resolve on its own with warm compresses but it is important to have it examined by one of our Cambridge eye doctors to make sure eye drops are not needed.

Giant Papillary Conjunctivitis – Hard Bumps or Lumps under the Eyelid

If there are many hard bumps or lumps under the upper and lower eyelid and the diagnosis is Giant Papillary Conjunctivitis when the patient is a contact lens wearer, several eye drops are helpful in clearing the bumps. The bumps or lumps are more often under the upper eyelid. Additional symptoms the patient will experience is contact lens intolerance, foreign body sensation even more pronounced when not wearing contact lenses, and when initially taking out contact lenses at the end of the day. Patients may also experience pain when closing their eyes especially when not wearing contact lenses. Patients will feel less pain and discomfort while the contact lenses are in their eyes. And the pain is often more pronounced immediately after taking out lenses at the end of the day. The reason the pain occurs when not wearing contact lenses is the contact lens serves as a barrier to the cornea or eye. Once properly diagnosed by our Optometrists, eye drops will be prescribed that are most effective in relieving the symptoms and allowing contact lens wearers to resume contact lens wear. The most effective type of eye drops cannot be purchased over the counter. Also, in some cases patients will be advised to discontinue wearing contact lenses for a certain period of time to allow the eyes to heal. In addition, the patient may need to revise their contact lens schedule permanently or just for a period of time. It is also recommended that patients change their contact lens type to daily contact lenses instead of bi-weekly or monthly lenses. It is very important for contact lens wearers to have regular and yearly appointments with their Optometrist to check for the development of contact lens related issues before they arise.

Eyelid Stye – Hard, Red or Clear Bump on the edge of the Eyelid

Another lump or bump that appears on the edge of the eyelid is called a Stye. It appears as a hard, red or clear bump on the edge of the eyelid. Sometimes the bump can grow large and be quite painful. A Stye sometimes has a pus point in which fluid will drain. Only in rare cases can a Stye be sight threatening, but larger, hard bumps on the eyelid can induce astigmatism and affect vision. In this case, we would recommend having it removed by one of our associated Surgeons. If the bump is diagnosed as a Stye, it is common for Optometrists to recommend applying warm compresses to the eye bump because the compresses help to quicken the healing process. At Harvard Square Eye Care the Optometrists can determine the correct course of action. The hard lump on the eyelid or eyeball may need topical antibiotics to prevent an infection in the eye from developing. It is important to schedule an appointment with an Optometrist at one of our locations to diagnose and prescribe the proper medication.

Chalazion – Hard Lump on the Eyelid

The Stye can sometimes resist resolving completely and turn into a hard lump on the eyelid. If this occurs the name is a Chalazion. It is recommended to digitally rub the hard bump often to attempt to loosen the coalesced material that makes up the lump on the eyeball. A larger Chalazion can affect vision because it can put pressure on the cornea and cause Astigmatism. In some cases the hard bump needs to be removed by one of our associated surgeons.