Detecting eyelid problemsDo you have a growth that looks like a pimple on your eyelid? Does it seem to be growing or does it bleed?

According to Asian Eye Institute eye plastic surgeon Dr. Franklin Kleiner, these lumps could be noncancerous (benign) or cancerous (malignant). “Although most eyelid problems are not vision or life threatening, they could cause pain, burning or a sandy feeling in the eye. The most common eyelid problems are sties and chalazia.”

A sty is like a pimple on the eyelid that is caused by bacterial infection of a hair follicle or sweat gland; a chalazion, on the other hand, is a painless bump due to a blocked oil gland. However, patients should not mistake these for skin cancer.

“What people don’t know is that skin cancer around the eyelids occurs. The skin of the eyelids is more prone to tumors because it is the thinnest and most sensitive in the body and is often not protected from the sun’s UV rays,” Dr. Kleiner explains.

The two main types of cancerous eyelid tumors are the basal cell carcinomas and the squamous cell carcinomas and melanomas. Basal carcinomas are skin cancers that grow slowly over months to years but don’t spread to distant parts of the body, while the latter type is less common but can spread quickly on the eyelid. About 90% of tumors are basal cell carcinomas and 10% are squamous cell carcinomas and melanomas.

“Careful evaluation is essential to know whether the lump or growth is noncancerous or cancerous,” says Dr. Kleiner. “It is important to consider the size, appearance, recurrence and how long the eye growth has been present.”

Early detection of eyelid growths is essential to obtaining better results out of treatment. Asian Eye offers eyelid growth detection and removal. For more info, call 898-2020 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . (Story/Photo by: Charizze Henson)