Eyelid lumps and bumps

Have you noticed a lump on your eyelid? Or a Stye that never seems to go away?
Maybe a lump came up, became red and angry, then gradually got better but never seemed to go away. Perhaps you have noticed a small swelling or ulcer on your eyelid or near your eye and it has been getting bigger over the last few months. You may even have had it for years and recently became concerned about it.

Either way, lumps in the eyelid and around the eye are very common. Men and women, from the very young to the very old can get them.

The good news is that most of them are nothing to worry about. Many are caused by blocked glands in the eyelid but with time they can get slowly bigger and even interfere with your eyesight.

Although common, lumps and swellings around the eye and eyelid should never be ignored. Rarely they can be caused by a much more serious problem, even a cancer. And like all cancers, the earlier they are diagnosed and treated, the more likely it is they can be cured completely.

The most important thing is to see a specialist quickly who can make an accurate diagnosis and treat the problem urgently.

However, it is not always easy to tell the difference between non-serious lumps and bumps and serious lumps and bumps around the eye, which is why it is so important to see a specialist. Even GPs can often struggle to make the right diagnosis, often preferring to send their patients directly to see a hospital specialist.

Some benign eyelid lumps

Eyelid Stye		A Meibomian cyst (Chalazion)
Cyst of Zeiss		Cyst of Moll
A Papilloma

Some Eyelid Cancers

Basal Cell Cancer This is the commonest eyelid cancer but is usually easily treatable		Squamous Cell Skin Cancer This can be more serious than the basal cell cancer
Malignant melanoma of the eyelid It is important to diagnose this type of cancer as early as possible

I will see you personally where we will go through your symptoms before I fully examine your eyes using state-of-the art equipment.

Understandably you would want to avoid an operation if at all possible but occasionally surgery is the best or only treatment recommended. You can be assured that I will perform a thorough assessment of your eyes and general health and recommend a treatment tailored to your specific needs.

I will explain all the treatment options for your condition.  As you might expect, the treatment depends entirely upon the cause.  The good news is that most eyelid conditions are benign – in other words, they are not cancer. Better still, as an experienced eye surgeon 99 times out of a 100 I can give you the diagnosis at our very first outpatient meeting – and also treat the problem, quite often there and then in the clinic. In many cases all I need to do is to numb the area with local anaesthetic and remove the lump in the clinic – meaning that your mind is put to rest straight away and the problem has gone, all in the same outpatient visit.  Many procedures last only a few minutes and you can go home shortly afterwards.

I always see private patients personally and at your convenience – usually within the week.

I have undertaken specialist oculoplastic eye surgery training in Nottingham and Moorfields Eye Hosiptal, London. I am also a founder member of the British Oculoplastic Surgeons Society – in other words I not only treat patients, I am involved in training eye surgeons of the future.

My research interests span many years and I regularly present studies at national and international meetings on eye conditions.

I just wanted to say many thanks for your continued help with my eye problem. Your professionalism and help has been excellent.

Thank-you for the fantastic job you have done on my forehead and for going through all the details before the operation.

Thank you for the advice that the growth you remove from my eye-lid was benign. The eye-lid has settled down very well, it would be difficult to detect that anything untoward had ever occurred there, remarkable.