What eyelid lesion is described as a small yellowish pustule at the base of an eyelash?

Improve your skills in diagnosing and managing common acute eye and musculoskeletal conditions. Test your knowledge with flashcards and multiple choice questions. Each question includes hints and explanations to prepare you thoroughly for your exam.

Multiple Choice

What eyelid lesion is described as a small yellowish pustule at the base of an eyelash?

Explanation:
A stye is an acute infection at the eyelid margin, usually involving a lash follicle or nearby gland, which classically presents as a tender, swollen lump with a small yellowish pus-filled point at the base of a lash. That yellow pustule precisely reflects purulent material accumulating where the lash attaches, which is the hallmark of an external hordeolum. This contrasts with a chalazion, which is a chronic, painless, firm nodule within the eyelid away from the lash line due to a blocked meibomian gland, not a pustule. Hyphema is blood collecting in the anterior chamber inside the eye, not a lid lesion, and retinal detachment involves the retina with symptoms like sudden vision changes, not a lump on the eyelid. So the described lesion fits an external stye best.

A stye is an acute infection at the eyelid margin, usually involving a lash follicle or nearby gland, which classically presents as a tender, swollen lump with a small yellowish pus-filled point at the base of a lash. That yellow pustule precisely reflects purulent material accumulating where the lash attaches, which is the hallmark of an external hordeolum. This contrasts with a chalazion, which is a chronic, painless, firm nodule within the eyelid away from the lash line due to a blocked meibomian gland, not a pustule. Hyphema is blood collecting in the anterior chamber inside the eye, not a lid lesion, and retinal detachment involves the retina with symptoms like sudden vision changes, not a lump on the eyelid. So the described lesion fits an external stye best.

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