Are eye stones forming? Symptoms of conjunctival concretions and removal review

I woke up in the morning and went to the bathroom, and there was a huge amount of hardened eye crust stuck in my eye.

Even after cleaning all the eye discharge, tears continued to flow slightly, and the inside of my eyelids felt rough and stinging. I also felt a foreign body sensation.

So I peeled back the eyelid to check, and I found a round, slightly yellow lump inside the eye.

At first, I thought it was a type of stye. I usually tend to get styes quite often.

I am a chronic stye patient, and my tolerance to pharmacy medications has developed, so I can no longer recover with over-the-counter drugs and need to take antibiotics to get better... haha

So I went to the ophthalmology clinic immediately. I never even dreamed that the symptoms before going to the ophthalmologist would be a conjunctival stone.

So I naturally thought it was a stye, but...

The doctor looked and said, "It's a stone." I was so surprised that I asked back, "Huh??? A stone??" 😱

If it's a stone, like a rock, I was surprised, but the doctor reassured me that it's not serious and that it can be removed immediately, so they proceeded with the treatment.

What is conjunctival concretions?

It was explained that the secretion from the meibomian glands in the conjunctiva clumps together, hardens, and forms a stone-like shape.

It seems to occur more frequently, especially when the eyes are dry or prone to inflammation, and I wonder if it's because I am a professional with styes...

And it can occur even if the cleansing was not done properly or if there is an allergy.

Symptoms of conjunctival concretions

Based on my conjunctival stone symptoms,

A lump like a stye has formed inside the eye.

A lot of crusty eye boogers have formed.

A foreign body sensation inside the eye

- Burning sensation every time I close and open my eyes

Don't the symptoms of a stye and conjunctival stone look very similar just by looking at this?

I think there are many people who might confuse it with a stye like mine and not even consider that it could be a symptom of a conjunctival stone.

Conjunctival stone treatment methods

Removing the stone was easier than I thought. I applied anesthetic eye drops on the spot and used tweezers to immediately extract and remove the conjunctival stone.

I was worried it would hurt a lot, but it only pinched a little when I plucked it with tweezers and didn't hurt! The stye popping is much more painful.

It feels somewhat like squeezing a pimple... The sound is like bubble wrap popping🤣 It was treated quite simply.

Conjunctival stone removal completed

I had one stone on each side, one on the left and two on the right, and they were all successfully removed.

- Comparison shot

Conjunctival stone prescription

I came to the ophthalmology clinic because I needed two types of eye drops and also have dry eyes, so I was prescribed artificial tears.

Currently, the stones have all been removed, but I was told that stones could form again due to sebaceous gland secretions.

The symptoms of conjunctival concretions are similar to those of a stye, so it's important not to confuse the two. Some people only use eye drops without visiting an ophthalmologist for a stye.

Conjunctival concretions need to be removed, so if you experience the symptoms of conjunctival concretions listed above, it would be best to see an ophthalmologist immediately!