My bottom eyelid is swollen a little in the inner corner. It's a little sore, especially in the morning. At first I thought I had an eye infection because I had my makeup professionally done on Sunday, and the girl was using used brushes...ew. It's not gunky and its not tearing a lot. It's just annoying. I feel like I shouldn't wear my contacts, so I'm wearing my glasses, but they are a few prescriptions behind. Any suggestions? Do you think I have a blocked tear duct??
2007-08-03 04:07:53 · 6 answers · asked by Level Headed, I hope 5 in Health ➔ Optical
The glands of the eyelid are many. If you look in the mirror at the edge of your eyelids, you'll see a row of little white gland openings. In front of those are the hair follicles. Inside the hairfollicles or lash follicles are a number of accessory glands (Zeiss and Moll).
The large glands with the openings secrete an oil which keeps the tear film from evaporating quickly. The baseline tear secretion comes from little goblet cells in the conjunctiva covering the eye. The lacrimal gland is located up and out and it functions with more of a wash or emotion (crying, tearing, something in the eye...)
When one of these little white openings gets plugged up, the oil making cells up in there don't 'know' and they keep on making oil. This causes a bump. If it gets inflammed, it's called a Chalazion. This doesn't hurt, but does look funny. It looks like it should hurt.
If it gets infected, or if one of the lash follicle glands gets infected, it also forms a bump, but it HURTS a LOT! That's a STY or hordeolum.
Towards the nose, nasally there, where you are swollen, is a punctal opening on the top lid and the bottom lid. This is where tears go down into the nose via the lacrimal sac. When we blink, we squish the sac, and opening the lids relaxes that pressure which opens the sac which causes a little bit of 'suction' and so there go the tears....
If you have an inflammtion around one of these puctal openings, the lining gets swollen sometimes and won't allow the tears to drain 'correctly' and they'll spill over. That's called epiphora (just in case you wanted to know what that's called). People with a lot of blockage can be seen from far, as their face gets raw from wiping the tears off from under their eyes.
If it gets 'worse' let me know. There are some meds that'll relieve that inflammation.
I didn't know you even used makeup. hmm.
2007-08-03 06:43:44 · answer #1 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
This Site Might Help You.
RE:
Whats the difference between a blocked tear duct and a sty?
My bottom eyelid is swollen a little in the inner corner. It's a little sore, especially in the morning. At first I thought I had an eye infection because I had my makeup professionally done on Sunday, and the girl was using used brushes...ew. It's not gunky and its not tearing a lot....
2015-08-06 22:18:11 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
A sty would be red and swollen and very itchy. It's an infection. A blocked tear duct, on the other hand, would just be a little swollen, maybe some milky-type discharge.
I don't know what you have, but I think the makeover is the culprit and that you need to see your eye doctor.
TX Mom
Not a medical practitioner
2007-08-03 04:13:14 · answer #3 · answered by TX Mom 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Tear Duct Inflammation
2016-11-12 04:13:28 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Really not a big deal- sounds like a block duct. Unless it seems to bother your child or get red then I would just leave it alone. Most times these things clear up by the time they are 6 months old. My daughter had both eyes like that. Her doctor said we could just wait it out. And her left eye stopped having the gunk at about 4 months. Her right eye will need a small procedure to un block it (we are getting appointment with the eye doctor soon)
2016-03-17 06:09:37 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am pretty sure it is a blocked tear duct.
A sty is a bump on the eyelid.
2007-08-03 04:11:53 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋