Hailstones for small children

General information

A hailstone (chalazion) occurs much less frequently in small children than a barleycorn, but a barleycorn can transform into a hailstone during the healing process and persist chronically. Therapy is difficult in small children, because they rarely leave the hailstone alone, but keep fingering it, so that the inflammation gets worse.

Causes

A hailstone in children and adults is not primarily caused by bacteria, but by inflammatory processes in the environment. An existing so-called barley grain, for example, can develop into a hailstone in children, among others. In addition, a hailstone in children can be caused by an eyelid inflammation.

This means that the eyelid glands, the so-called meibomian glands, produce too much secretion and become inflamed as a result. As a result, the increased secretion and the inflammatory processes can clog the excretory duct of the eyelid gland. This can result in a hailstone in the eyelid.

Furthermore, skin diseases of children can affect the function of the Meibom glands. A child’s metabolic disorder, such as diabetes mellitus type 1, can also cause a hailstone in a child. Rarely a tumor of the eyelid causes a hailstone.

Duration

In children the healing of the hailstone can be delayed compared to adults. The healing process can often take several weeks, as it is more difficult for children to adhere to the “do not touch” and hygiene measures. If a hailstone becomes inflamed or lasts for several weeks, a pediatric treatment is recommended. If necessary, treatment with an antibiotic ointment suitable for children and/or antibiotic-containing eye drops for children may be necessary in order to shorten the duration of the healing process or generally to enable a healing process.

Treatment

Although a hailstone can be surgically removed in children, eyelid distortion is possible at a later stage due to incomplete growth. The operation is performed in small children under general anesthesia, which is a great strain on the young organism. For these reasons, surgery should be avoided as long as possible and instead a different therapy should be used:

  • Red light,
  • Antiseptic/disinfecting eye drops/ ointments and
  • Homeopathy.

Through homeopathy the self-healing powers of the body are to be activated and the application of homeopathic medicines is tailored to the constitution of the patient.

The use of the following homeopathic remedies should be considered for hailstones: The correspondingly necessary potency of the remedies results from the constitutional picture of the respective patient. Experience has shown that the potencies C200 and C30 are particularly helpful in the treatment of hailstones, but a trained homeopath should be consulted.