Chalazion

[Suzy92]

Hello, I have a chalazion for about 7 months. I was wondering do Chalazions shrink within time and get smaller to a point where they cannot be seen at all?? Mine chalazion is pretty small and it cannot be seen that much, only from really upclose. I was wondering will it ever just shrink away on its own time? A year? I have heard that they last from 12 to 18 weeks. Is that true? Thank youuuu!!

[Suzy92]

Also, since i have been using the erythromycin, i have been noticing that i wake up with a little bit of discharge in the inner corner of my eye. It is like a white-ish cream-ish color. Does this mean that the erythromycin is helping??

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

I tell people that 75% of them go away in 10-12 weeks. another 20% decrease in size to where they are not noticible. the remaining 5% may need steroid injection or office surgery incision and currettementk
JCH MD

[Suzy92]

Okay, thank you very much. I hope it goes away! This is my first chalazion ever. I have been washing m y eyes with baby shampoo and applying Erythromycin every night. What do you think are my chances of getting rid of it? I also was applying heat every night but my mom told me to stop applying heat because it might hurt my eyesight.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

It's true sometimes but it's not the most common way a chronic chalazion behaves. If' its getting smaller hooray. Maybe it will go away.
JCH MD

[Suzy92]

To  me it feels like it is getting smaller. I was told by another doctor on this website that sometimes they last for a year or two years and then they go away. Is that not true?

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

If you have had it 7 months it's likely not going to get much smaller. Some persist or get quite large and do not respond to therapy (lid scrubs, warm compresses, antibiotic drops or ointment) and require office surgery or injection of steroids into the chalazion.

JCH MD