Xanthelasma are fat deposits around the eyes, usually found near the inner corner of the eye and the inner upper eyelid. They tend to look slightly paler than the person's skin tone, and the lumps can vary in size. They are harmless themselves but can represent a high level of cholesterol (a type of fat) in the body, although this is not always the case. Higher levels of cholesterol in the body can increase your risk of heart problems. They do not need to be removed from around the eyes but can be removed privately for cosmetic reasons by a variety of methods from excision of the lumps to laser, chemical or freezing.

A stye is a tiny painful lump caused by bacteria, commonly Staphylococcus aureus. which resides on the skin and can enter the oil glands in the eyelids through small openings or breaks. Factors contributing to the development of styes include poor eyelid hygiene, touching the eyes with unwashed hands, and using expired or contaminated eye makeup. It can look like a little pimple – red or with a white/yellow centre and can cause lots of red inflammation and swelling around it. It may cause your eyes to water, but it should not affect your vision. It does not usually require treatment and gets better on its own after a week or two. You can relieve the pain and swelling with a cool flannel, and you can keep the area clean and encourage any discharge out with a warm compress – soak a flannel with warm water and press against the eye for 5 minutes three or four times a day.

Glaucoma is a condition where there is damage to the optic nerve. This nerve sits at the back of your eye and transports the images your eyes see to your brain for processing. Glaucoma can threaten your vision, either by direct damage to the optic nerve, or by an increase in pressure in the fluid filling the eye, and thereby squeezing the optic nerve. It can ultimately lead to a loss of vision, so it's important it's detected and treated early. There are two usual types of glaucoma, based on whether pressure increases slowly or quickly. Chronic open-angle glaucoma - the most common type - is where pressure inside the eye builds slowly, so the loss of vision occurs gradually. You might not even notice changes early on, but you're most likely to lose vision in the outer edges of your vision (the periphery) first. It's often picked up on a routine check-up with your optician, where they check eye pressure by blowing a puff of air on your eyeball. This type of glaucoma usually affects both eyes and is painless.  Among white Europeans, about 1 in 50 people over 40 years of age and 1 in 10 people over 75 years of age have chronic open-angle glaucoma. Acute angle glaucoma is much less common. Pressure builds rapidly inside the eye and threatens vision if not treated urgently. You might feel severe pain in or around your eye or in the head, the eye may feel tight or full, lights may appear to have halos around them and you might complain of blurred vision. You may even feel unwell and be vomiting. This is an emergency and you should seek medical attention urgently. Other possible types of glaucoma include secondary glaucoma – caused by an eye injury or inflammation of the middle layer of the eye – and congenital glaucoma which is rare but present at birth.

Infections can affect different parts of the eye causing a so-called red-eye. The conjunctiva – the pink rim if you pull down your lower lid – is the most common site of infection, called conjunctivitis. This usually affects both eyes and goes alongside viral respiratory infections giving cold symptoms. Children may be more prone to bacterial conjunctivitis. You might get a clear, yellow, or green discharge which might cause blurring of the vision until they’re cleaned, and eyes may be crusty and stuck together on waking. The usual whites of the eyes look pink, the pink rim looks red, and it looks a bit red and swollen around the eyes. It’s not usually very painful. A stye is a mild bacterial infection of glands on your lashline, causing a painful red pimple on your upper or lower eyelid. This does not usually need treatment and improves after a few days. Other infections are more likely to affect one eye and may be more serious. Keratitis affects the cornea, the glass-like coating of your eye, which may come from bacteria, viruses, or parasites in tap water, and contact lens wearers are at particular risk. You may get the appearance of red-eye, pain, and watering for reasons other than infection, such as uveitis or glaucoma, and these require urgent medical assessment. Allergy can cause a similar red eye, but it’s more likely to feel itchy and both eyes are affected, usually with lots of watering and gritty or burning feeling.

An ectropion happens when the lower eyelid sags away from your eye, leaving the inner surface of the eyelid exposed. It can happen in one eye or both eyes. When the lower eyelid droops away from the eye, it can affect the ability of teardrops to drain properly. This can cause the eye to water excessively, as well as feel dry and gritty. The eyes can also become red, sore, and inflamed and this makes the eye more vulnerable to infections such as conjunctivitis.    In severe untreated cases, it's possible to develop a corneal ulcer (a sore on the eye's surface) that could affect your vision. But this is rare. An ectropion is different from an entropion, which is where the eyelid turns inwards, towards the eye.

Conjunctivitis is an infection of the eye by either a virus or bacteria. The conjunctiva is the pink rim that you can see if you pull down your lower lid, and it extends onto the white of your eye. It’s an area that often gets infected in children and is usually linked to a common viral cold. Children may get a bacterial infection on its own, usually starting in one eye then spreading. Conjunctivitis has a number of possible symptoms, but one eye normally starts to become affected before the other. The eye looks red and swollen and this redness extends onto the eyelids as well as the white of the eye. There is often a discharge (sometimes greenish in colour) around the eyelids and this is worse on waking – the eyes may seem to be ‘stuck down’ with matter. Itching and pain on rubbing the eyes is also common, with sufferers often saying their eyes feel ‘gritty’, and occasionally bright light may make all these symptoms worse. Allergic conjunctivitis is in response to an allergen – commonly pollen alongside other hay fever symptoms – but also any face creams, hair dyes, nail varnish, pet dander or anything in the environment that your eyes have become sensitive to. The eyes are usually profusely watery, puffy around them and they may feel a bit gritty. You may also get a runny nose or hives on other parts of the body. Treatment may help, such as antihistamine eye drops or tablets, but it’s usually mild and improves on its own within a day or two – quicker if you remove the suspected allergen. Conjunctivitis in Children In children, it often presents with symptoms such as redness, itching, swelling, and discharge from the eyes, which can be caused by bacterial or viral infections, allergies, or irritants like smoke or dust. Bacterial conjunctivitis is typically treated with antibiotic eye drops, while viral conjunctivitis usually resolves on its own. Good hygiene, such as frequent hand washing and avoiding touching the eyes, is crucial to prevent the spread of conjunctivitis among children. Learn more about conjunctivitis in children.

A cataract is when part of the eye called the lens, which is normally clear, becomes cloudy and affects your vision. It tends to affect older people – up to one in three of those over 65 are affected by cataracts. There are other rarer types of cataracts such as congenital cataracts that develop from birth, and this is checked at your baby's 6 to 8 week screening with your doctor. People with a cataract usually complain of blurred vision. As the condition progresses over years, vision can worse, colours look less vibrant, spots appear in their vision, halos appear around lights, lights seem too bright and they have difficulty seeing in poor light or at night. Pain isn’t usually a symptom. Symptoms of a cataract usually develop slowly over a few years so people may not notice at first, but it will be picked up at a routine eye test.

Blepharitis is a common and treatable inflammation of the inner rim of the eyelid, usually affecting both eyes. There may be irritation, itching, burning, excessive tears and crusty debris or skin flakes around the eyelashes. You may also have redness around the eyes and missing eyelashes. Common causes are bacterial eyelid infections, meibomian gland dysfunction, dry eyes, fungal eyelid infections and parasites. Blepharitis can be a recurrent or chronic problem, and patients often have other associated skin conditions such as rosacea and dandruff. Blepharitis is not contagious.