Foreign Bodies—Eyelid Disorders

Your eyelids help protect your eyes. When you blink, your eyelids spread moisture over your eyes. Blinking also helps move dirt or other particles off the surface of the eye. You close your eyelids when you see something coming toward your eyes. This can help protect against injuries.

Like most other parts of your body, your eyelids can get infected, inflamed, or even develop cancer. There are also specific eyelid problems, including

• Eyelids that turn in or out
• Eyelids that droop
• Abnormal blinking or twitching

Treatment of eyelid problems depends on the cause.

• Blepharitis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Chalazion (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Ectropion (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Entropion (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Eyelid bump (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Eyelid drooping (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Eyelid lift (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Eyelid twitch (Medical Encyclopedia)

If you’ve ever gotten a splinter or had sand in your eye, you’ve had experience with a foreign body. A foreign body is something that is stuck inside you but isn’t supposed to be there. You may inhale or swallow a foreign body, or you may get one from an injury to almost any part of your body. Foreign bodies are more common in small children, who sometimes stick things in their mouths, ears, and noses.

Some foreign bodies, like a small splinter, do not cause serious harm. Inhaled or swallowed foreign bodies may cause choking or bowel obstruction and may require medical care.

• Bezoar (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Eye – foreign object in (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Foreign body in the nose (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Foreign object – inhaled or swallowed (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Splinter removal (Medical Encyclopedia)