A good, old-fashioned compress can help oily blockage in the eye

YOU might have noticed how your eye needs to be moist, otherwise it becomes quite painful.

The film of tears you produce protects the eye from dirt and dust, and makes blinking more comfortable.

Tears aren’t only made up of water, though – there’s an oily substance, called meibum, in there, too.

This substance helps with lubrication and prevents your tears from evaporating too quickly.

It’s produced by wee meibomian glands, located on the inside rim of your eyelids – and you’ve got no reason to notice them if they’re working as they should.

Sometimes one of these glands can become blocked, however, resulting in a fairly common problem we see in the surgery.

Those with eczema and the eye condition blepharitis are more prone to it.

Once the gland has become blocked, there’s a build-up of meibum in a little pocket under the eyelid.

The resulting solid lump is called a chalazion – pronounced “kuh-lazy-on”. They’re typically only a few millimetres wide, and are quite painless.

Although a little unsightly, a chalazion will often go away by itself after a few months.

A hot compress a few times a day can ease any discomfort. Dip a clean flannel in hot water and hold firmly against the eye for five minutes, and do this four times a day.

Similarly, using a good, old hot compress, one can massage the eyelid towards the eyelash to work out the blockage.

A small op at the eyelid clinic can also help if the chalazion becomes troublesome or persists for more than six months.

Occasionally a chalazion will become infected – in which case a professional needs to take a look.