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Eyelid Lumps
Eyelid lumps are fairly common and can occur in any breed, at any age, with older dogs over 10 years more commonly affected.
Types
| Meibomian gland adenoma or adenocarcinoma | The most common eyelid lump is the meibomian gland mass. These lumps occur in the eyelid margin and can develop into cancerous lumps. |
| Papilloma | White, pink or pigmented cauliflower-like mass that occur due to viral infection. They have a cobblestone-appearance and represent about 10-20% of all eye masses. They usually occur in younger dogs and can spontaneously regress. |
| Melanoma | Single, smooth pigmented mass. Usually flat, broadly expansive mass. These masses are typically locally invasive. |
| Squamous cell carcinoma | Uncommon, mass with ulcerative appearance. |
| Fibroma or fibrosarcoma | Uncommon. |
Signs
Signs that the mass is causing problems:
- Squinting
- Eye discharge
- More visible third eyelid
- Pawing at the eye
- Conjunctivitis
Management
Most eyelid masses are benign, meaning they do not spread to other parts of the body and surgery is usually curative. However, if left alone, the lump can:
- become locally aggressive
- disfigure the eye or eyelid
- irritate the eye
- cause corneal ulceration
- cause eye infections
Surgery
The urgency of surgery is based on the location, size, and growth rate of the mass. A mass that causes no irritation and is slow-growing could be left for ongoing monitoring. Whereas a mass that is greater than 2-3mm and causes irritation would require surgery sooner.
Surgery is performed under general anesthesia, the lump is carefully removed and fine absorbable sutures are used to close the surgery site whilst ensuring that the eyelid margins are kept well-aligned. The final appearance of the surgical site should appear as if nothing had been done to the eyelid (i.e. there is no jagged step along the eyelid margin).
Types of treatment:
- Surgical removal (the most common method of treatment)
- V-plasty correction
- Cryosurgery
- CO2 laser
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation therapy
Masses greater than 8-9mm may need to be referred to an eye specialist to performed reconstruction surgery.
Home Care After Surgical Removal
Regular, gentle cleaning of any eye discharge to ensure the surgery site is clean for optimal healing.
Using warm water twice daily with a soft towel or gauze swab will be fine.
An Elizabethan collar is important to protect the eye from self-trauma.
Eye medication is prescribed to control any inflammation.