Small Irritated Bump On INSIDE Of Eyelid

I was helping my stepdad remove tree debris yesterday and shortly after I thought I felt something in my eye, so I pulled my eye lids back and tried to find it, but there's no loose material there. I continued to go about my day, and the more I opened and closed my eye the more I could feel that there was something on the inside of my upper eye lid. I tried washing it out with water, eye drops, the works. I finally had my mom pull my eye lid back and she said there's a 'small red swollen bump' on the inside of my eye lid. It's no between my eye and eyelashes, its on the literal inside wall of my upper eyelid. I'm broke, and have no insurance, and I'm going into the Navy sometime this week. Everytime my eye crosses over where the bump is, it hurts extremely, and my eye leaks tears... What should I do?!

[Houman Vosoghi, MD]

You either have a foreign body embedded under your eyelid or a chalazion.  Unfortunately, given the first is a possibility, you do have to get an examination soon as this could lead to a bad infection.  You should seek medical attention from an ophthalmologist immediately.  They may be willing to give you a significant discount given your plans to serve our country.  You should also be on some antibiotic drops most likely.

HV