Lump on eyelid causing vision problems & headaches

[YouHaveNoAuthorityHereJackie]

I have a lump on my upper eyelid that’s been there for a few weeks. Not a stye I don’t think as it’s on the eyelid itself rather than the lash line. As first it was just a bit unsightly but in the last few days
ive felt unwell with aching muscles I could barely move in my neck and shoulders, headaches and this morning I’ve realised my vision in that eye is terrible. I’m sat about 6 feet away from our fireplace and with my good eye shut I can’t read the large text on a birthday card which is up there. I can’t get an appointment at my doctors for 2 weeks, even to see a nurse. I did have some bloods taken about a month ago which showed bad iron and folate deficiencies, a possible liver function issue and borderline thyroid levels ( I went as I’ve been feeling so tired but also hormonal with erratic periods so I thought peri menopause was a possibility despite being 37). Do I just wait or is the vision something I need to get checked out? I feel horribly dizzy and headachey this morning.

I’d go to a and e to be honest. Right now.
good luck

@Cavviesarethebest why would you suggest a&e? Not wanting to be one of those posters, but we were told by our GP to take toddler dd a few weeks ago, urgently, and we were there for 5 hours waiting to be seen. It was miserable all round. Is there something you think my symptoms suggest?

If you can’t get an urgent appointment I’d at least see an optician today or tomorrow for the eyesight. But to be quite honest, you sound very poorly indeed and you don’t want to wait two weeks to be seen.

Is it a chalazion? Have you tried hot compresses on it? I had one and it did affect my vision due to the pressure it put in the eyeball. I ended up having mine surgically removed.

I have no medical expertise at all but it sounds to me like could be an infection and they can move fast! My friend felt a bit off last year and went to a walk in clinic and turned out to be sepsis and she almost died!

hipefully it’s nothing. But I’d over react rather than under react in your situation. But I don’t have any specialist knowledge

Opticians will see you as an emergency under an NHS scheme. You have other symptoms but your eye seemed to be the initial problem. Maybe you should start with that.

This very likely - an optician will be the fastest way to find out.

See an optician. Waits are short and they can refer for special ophthalmologist appointments. Not many people know this

Agree see an optician who can make a referral if needs be

Technically they can. In practice not always. My optician referrals were refused every time by the providers because they hadn't come from the GP. In the end the GP, who said that she had not clue about eyes, made the referral to stop it bouncing around.

Definitely try the optician first, or even an eye hospital if you are local to one. GPs usually ask/expect you to see an optician for eye problems.

Don't go to A&E.
Make an appointment with an optician; speak on the phone first and explain what the issue is as the correct person might not be there and they might suggest a different day/ office etc.

Thanks for all the advice. I called the optician, the receptionist wrote down all the details and called me back to say hot and cold compresses and call back in a week if no change, despite me saying I’d been doing the compresses for more than a week now. I’ll see how I am tonight. Unhelpfully our out of hours and minor injuries units are closed due to staff shortages so there’s nowhere else but a&e if push does come to shove

A& E usually not right for this unless, as you say, there is a minor injuries, if it is getting worse, contact the optician again!

Google ‘hot spoon bathing’. It sound ridiculous but it works!

Headache associated with neck stiffness, dizziness and vision problems? Are you sure that's related to the lump on the eye?
Personally I wouldn't be so confident telling someone that A&E isn't appropriate with those symptoms, particularly if you feeling generally unwell.

Are you nearish any major teaching hospitals? They often have specialist Eye Casualty departments. You might have to search their website. Our local one is excellent. You can't just turn up, you have to phone up for an appointment. I've had a couple of eye incidents, and each time I was seen within a couple of hours of phoning.

My DS had a stye under his eyelid. I thought it was conjunctivitis but was weirded out by the fat that it was only one eye which was swollen and sore. We went to GP and they diagnosed it, it went away very quickly with the right treatment.

As for Opticians they are the best first point of call with eye issues but it something seems very not right the best bet is to get to the Local Eye A and E. They can be found by googling.
Opticians cannot make direct referrals to Hospital Eye Services, they have to do this via the person's GP.

It does sound like a chalazion. you qualify under nice guidelines for removal if it’s affecting your vision.
however, you need to have an eye exam first to check it’s actually that or just a coincidence.
I would just ring back and get an appointment with your optician.
@IdiotCreatures it depends on the area, all our referrals go direct and have done for about 4 years.

I’m going to go to the opticians on Monday I think. I wish I was near an eye hospital but the nearest ones showing are in London and we’re nowhere near there. It’s affecting my vision even more today, to the point I’m worried I shouldn’t really be driving.

Just an update, I’ve been to the optician this morning. Apparently the lump is a complete red herring, I have astigmatism in the eye that’s giving me trouble. I’m unconvinced by the optician saying my vision would have been off for a while and it’s only because of the lump and poking around with my eye as he put it, that I’ve noticed. It’s definitely not something that’s happened over time, it has happened very suddenly in my opinion. I still have a doctors appointment booked for Monday so I’ll talk it through with them.