Chalazion Excision Improves Dry Eye, Objective Tear Film Parameters

Chalazion excision can improve dry eye disease symptoms and objective ocular surface tear film parameters, according to a study published in HELIYON.

Researchers included 26 patients (eyes, 52; average age, 33.54 years) who underwent chalazion excision in the prospective, interventional clinical study. The team performed Schirmer I testing, corneal fluorescein staining (CFS), tear meniscus height (TMH) measurement, noninvasive first breakup time (NifBUT) assessment, noninvasive average breakup time (NiaBUT) assessment, bulbar conjunctival redness score analysis, lipid layer thickness measurement, and meibomian gland loss measurements preoperatively and at 1-week, 1-month, and 3-month postoperative follow-up visits.

The OSDI score among eyes with chalazion was significantly higher compared with contralateral eyes (P =.004), which were used as controls, the report shows. While there were no significant improvements in dry eye symptoms at the 1-week follow-up visit, OSDI scores improved significantly at months 1 and 3 (P <.001 for both) following chalazion excision.

CFS scores were also comparable between eyes scheduled to undergo surgery and control eyes at baseline, but this score improved significantly at 1 month following the procedure in the treatment eyes (P =.043).

The objective parameters, which included TMH (P =.032), NiaBUT (P =.028), bulbar conjunctival redness score (P <.001), lipid layer thickess (P =.021), and meibomian gland loss (P =.005) showed significant improvement as well after 3 months, according to the report.

“[C]halazion excision surgery did not worsen the dry eye disease of the chalazion patients and improved both the subjective symptoms and the objective parameters of the ocular surface,” according to the researchers. “Our study supports excision surgery as a safe and
effective treatment for chalazion.”

Study limitations include a small sample size, short study duration, and a failure to identify underlying factors for dry eye improvement.