Blocked eyelash pore I think - any advice?

I was going to say a stye but if you’ve had it over A year then it’s not.

Do you have high cholesterol? White spots around the eyes can be a sign of that.

Have you pulled out the affected eyelash? It's probably a harmless 'milk spot' and they can be removed by the GP.

I had one of these for over a year, I asked the optician if it could be removed , she referred me to an ophthalmologist and it would have cost £1500. I was wondering whether or not to pay up and then one day noticed it had gone! So they do go spontaneously, but it may take a while!

My daughter had one of these for a year or so - annoyed the hell out of her -but one day she just wiped her eye after a sneeze and it popped! It left a hole which soon closed up and healed. So have patience and it should go.

Thank you all for your help. I wonder if I should try to "pop" it with a sterilised needle? Or, as Hetty says, pull out the eyelash - but don't eyelashes fall out regularly anyway?

AskAlice, I've removed them from my face with a needle - by breaking into the top from the side - but, as yours is so close to your eye, it's just too risky, so please don't! Plucking the eyelash should be fine. I'm thinking that they only fall out when another is growing.

They have a tough top layer that keeps the solid white ball (of cholesterol perhaps?) firmly in place. Just 'popping' wouldn't allow it to escape. It's more of a 'slicing then squeezing' exercise, which is why I suggested the GP.

Ideally, you should leave it to resolve itself, though, as it won't be there for ever.

I really do worry about some of the advice give on GN sometimes- anything so close to the eye should be seen ba a doctor, and treated ba a doctor, not GN or any social media.

I've had a couple of these white bits on lashes. Years ago I saw ophthalmologist for eye allergy and she 'popped' these.
That was with my husband's private insurance at the time.
Now retired we don't have that.
High street optician recommended applying heat mask (which costs £10) twice a day for a couple of months. Plus massage eyelids with clean finger in gentle downwards motion to lids. Wipe with cotton pad in diluted baby shampoo or micellar water. Ball should gradually loosen and this keeps others from forming. It's the 'butter' or cholesterol in channels to lids that you aim to melt and clear out. Hope this helps.

Thank you all again. I'll mention it to my GP when I have my next review (Lord knows when that will be as it has been a bit hit and miss over the last few years!) In the meantime, I'll leave well alone and just try the warming/massage suggestion. You are quite right, Hetty, silly for me to mess about with pointy things so close to my eye

Definitely do not pop or take a needle to anything close to your eyes. Your optometrist should be able to identify and advise.

Just an update, not that this is a very exciting subject. mentioned to Optician who thought it was cholesterol related and would not respond to massage/heat. Private removal was recommended (NHS consider it a cosmetic issue and do not provide this service)

I waited until yesterday, and finally decided that as the lump was now visible in my peripheral vision and had become very distracting and noticeable, and had started to gravitate to the eyelid itself, I would bite the bullet and look for a private hospital that could deal with it.

About an hour ago, I felt my eye stinging and looked in the mirror - the lump had gone! I'm left with a small red pinprick dot but no white lump. I've bathed it with hot salt water and massaged it a bit and will do the same before I go to bed. Fingers crossed...but how extraordinary that this happened the day after I decided to take action. Someone up there is looking down on me!

Thank you all for your advice - you were right! I do love Gransnet

AskAlice

Just an update, not that this is a very exciting subject. mentioned to Optician who thought it was cholesterol related and would not respond to massage/heat. Private removal was recommended (NHS consider it a cosmetic issue and do not provide this service)

I waited until yesterday, and finally decided that as the lump was now visible in my peripheral vision and had become very distracting and noticeable, and had started to gravitate to the eyelid itself, I would bite the bullet and look for a private hospital that could deal with it.

About an hour ago, I felt my eye stinging and looked in the mirror - the lump had gone! I'm left with a small red pinprick dot but no white lump. I've bathed it with hot salt water and massaged it a bit and will do the same before I go to bed. Fingers crossed...but how extraordinary that this happened the day after I decided to take action. Someone up there is looking down on me!

Thank you all for your advice - you were right! I do love Gransnet

That’s great!👏

When I posted on 2 May that I thought it could be to do with high cholesterol I spoke from experience. I had one - quite large on my eyelid. It was very white and I tried all sorts of concealers to disguise it. It must have been there nearly two years.

I was like you and got as far as getting a price for a consultation. That was a crazy price so I carried on concealing it and just one morning it had completely gone!

Thanks Primrose.That's about how long I had mine ! I'm so relieved. My cholesterol levels are prety well controlled with statins and I have annual reviews which have shown that they are in balance re. good/bad cholesterol, so I wonder if the optician got it wrong maybe? He didn't touch it at all but just looked at it under a magnifying lens. Whatever, I'm just pleased that it seems to have gone (fingers firmly crossed!)

Interested to read this AskAlice.

I posted on 20th May on the Health forum with the same problem.

Glad to read about your experience, mine is still here, but will try and get it seen to.

Thanks.

I had something similar a while back, and warm compresses worked for me. Just soaked a cloth in hot water and pressed it on the lump for about 10 minutes a few times a day. It took a few weeks, but it did get better. If it doesn’t help, it’s probably a good idea to see a doctor.

Probably blocked oil glad, try cotton wool pads in hot water, (not boiling), rest on eye lids & then repeat with clean pads. I do this for my dry eyes & it does make a difference

I had a similar thing before, and it was a chalazion. I used a warm compress a few times a day, and it eventually went away. If that doesn’t help, a trip to the eye doctor might be needed.