A 5-year Multicenter Prospective Randomized Trial Comparing Three Conservative Chalazion Treatments

An eyelid stye, or chalazion, is the most common eyelid ailment, and is caused by the blockage of one of the oil secreting glands of the eyelid (meibomian glands). This leads to a typically painful, swollen, and red eyelid bump that lasts from days to weeks and months. The chalazion may cause tearing, pressure on the cornea, and irritation, all of which contribute to its morbidity. There are many anecdotal first line treatments for this condition, including warm compresses to the eyelid, topical antibiotics, topical steroids, topical combination antibiotic/steroid, and oral antibiotics. There have been no clinical trials to compare the efficacy of any of these conservative treatments. We wish to determine the most effective conservative medical treatment for chalazia.