Eyelid cyst, from a simple chalazion to the lumps you should not ignore.

An eyelid cyst is a lump of the eyelid arising from a blocked oil gland, an infected follicle, a keratin plug, a viral lesion or, occasionally, a skin cancer. The most common types are chalazion, stye, cysts of Zeis and Moll, milia, epidermoid cysts and molluscum contagiosum.

A stye (hordeolum) is an acute painful red pustule caused by infection of an eyelid gland, usually at the lash line. A chalazion is a chronic, firm, usually painless lump from a blocked meibomian gland deeper in the lid. Styes settle in one to two weeks; chalazia often need weeks of warm compresses or a minor procedure.

Apply a clean warm compress for five minutes, four to six times a day, and gently massage the lump towards the lash line. Keep the lid clean, avoid squeezing, and use a topical antibiotic ointment such as chloramphenicol if pus or crusting develops. Most styes clear within a fortnight.

See a GP or optometrist if the lump has not settled in three to four weeks, keeps coming back at the same spot, is hard or irregular, is causing loss of lashes, is affecting your vision, or is associated with spreading redness, fever or double vision.

Rarely, yes. Basal cell, squamous cell and sebaceous carcinomas can look like a chalazion or benign cyst. Warning signs are a non-healing ulcer, a hard irregular nodule, loss of eyelashes over the lump, distortion of the lid margin and recurrence at the same site. These need urgent specialist ophthalmology review and biopsy.

A specialist procedure under local anaesthetic. A clamp holds the lid, a small incision is made on the inner surface, and the trapped material is curetted out. It takes about fifteen minutes, most people return to normal activities within a day or two, and stitches are usually not needed.