I had a chalazion removed from my lower eyelid a month ago. Should it have been so painful?

Question

The physician numbed my eye, but the clamp part of the procedure was extremely painful. Is this normal?

John J. Martin, Jr., MD · Answer

Removal of a chalazion is not comfortable.  We give local anesthesia into the area to numb the lid.  But a clamp needs to be placed to flip the lid over.  Even with the local, this creates a strong pressure sensation for patients. It usually subsides after a couple of minutes, but can be pretty uncomfortable.

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD · Answer

First, it is likely that you did not need chalazia surgery .  Many of these lesions melt away with an injection of steroids.  The conflict is that doctors make more money operating on the eyelid than they do injecting the eyelid.  I only operate on chalzia that do not respond to steroids injections.  Fortunately that vast majority do not need any surgery whatsoever.

Ira Vidor, MD · Answer

Hi. I hope you are doing better now and your chalazion has resolved. Pain is a very subjective thing. What is painful to one person may not be to another. That said, chalazion removal is typically not very painful. Usually, the most painful part of the procedure is injecting the local anesthesia. There are ways to make this more comfortable but some people will still feel some pain. The actual placement of the clamp is not usually painful, however, some people feel pressure when the lid is everted (flipped). In most cases the benefit from removal of the chalazion outweighs the discomfort of the procedure. Best regards, Ira Vidor, M.D.

I had a chalazion removed from my lower eyelid a month ago. Should it have been so painful?

Answers (3)

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