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This page describes products and general use; it is not medical advice.
A chalazion clamp is a hand-held, ring-and-plate eyelid clamp that holds and isolates a portion of eyelid tissue during eye surgery. In the FDA’s device database the same instrument is also listed as a chalazion forceps: the two names describe one class of device. It is a reusable, non-powered surgical instrument regulated in the United States as Class I and exempt from premarket notification.
Who uses it: ophthalmic surgeons, and, in published dermatology case series, dermatologic surgeons; the staff who buy, count and reprocess instrument sets handle it too.
What is a chalazion clamp?
The U.S. National Library of Medicine’s AccessGUDID record for a Lahey chalazion forceps assigns it the GMDN term “Eyelid clamp, reusable”. That term defines the device as a hand-held manual surgical instrument designed to atraumatically grasp and hold the eyelid, or isolate a portion of eyelid tissue, during an ophthalmic surgical intervention such as chalazion surgery. The definition notes that the clamping mechanism may be one of a variety of designs (for example, ring and disk) and that the device may also be called an entropion forceps, a Downes lid clamp or a chalazion clamp. A chalazion itself is a well-circumscribed swelling of the eyelid.
How is a chalazion clamp built?
A 2024 paper in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology describes the classic clamp as structured like forceps, with a proximal shaft carrying a thumbscrew and two distal arms. One arm ends in a flat, solid plate; the other ends in a ring-shaped opening. The plate and ring close on each other, and the thumbscrew locks them in position. The same authors note that the thumbscrew’s high position on the shaft makes distal surfaces hard to reach.
Types and variants
| Variant | Key feature | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Standard chalazion clamp | Proximal shaft with thumbscrew; one flat solid plate and one ring-shaped arm | Akman-Karakas et al., J Clin Aesthet Dermatol 2024 |
| Modified chalazion clamp | No thumbscrew; supplied in two sizes with different ring diameters, described for mucosal and skin sites outside the eyelid | Akman-Karakas et al., J Clin Aesthet Dermatol 2024 |
| Lahey chalazion forceps (one listed model) | Reusable; supplied not sterile; steam sterilization required before use; FDA product code HNR; no device sizes recorded | AccessGUDID, DI 00810799033468 |
The dermatology paper describes the modified clamp in case series involving the buccal mucosa, tongue and vulva, and lists the nasal mucosa, earlobes, cutaneous lip and the web spaces of the fingers and toes as other sites where the clamp can be used. That is why the instrument can appear on dermatology supply lists as well as ophthalmic ones; see the dermatology office supply checklist and the table of lid and cilia forceps in the ophthalmic surgical instruments guide.
FDA classification
Under 21 CFR 886.4350, ophthalmic forceps fall within a group of nonpowered, handheld devices intended to aid or perform ophthalmic surgical procedures. The regulation classifies them as Class I (general controls) and exempts them from premarket notification, subject to the limitations in 886.9. FDA’s product classification database lists code HNR, “forceps, ophthalmic”, under that regulation as Class 1 and 510(k) exempt; establishment registration still applies. The AccessGUDID record for the Lahey chalazion forceps carries the same product code, HNR.
Safe use and handling basics
- Check the manufacturer’s instructions for use for the specific model. The AccessGUDID record for the Lahey model lists the device as reusable, not supplied sterile, and requiring steam (moist heat) sterilization before use.
- Reusable instruments need documented reprocessing between patients; the sterilization validation guide explains how sterilization cycles are qualified.
- Treat the thumbscrew model and the screwless model as different instruments when counting, labelling and assembling sets.
- Clinical technique is outside the scope of this page; it belongs to the operating clinician and the instrument’s labeling.
Common mistakes
- Treating “chalazion clamp” and “chalazion forceps” as two products. The GMDN definition lists them as names for one device type.
- Assuming every listing is sterile or single-use. The AccessGUDID record for the Lahey model is reusable and supplied non-sterile; always check the specific model’s labeling.
- Assuming a regulation number or product code is the same for every listing. The FDA product code HNR is named “forceps, ophthalmic”; the device-record term “Eyelid clamp, reusable” is the same instrument. Check the model’s own listing for its exact product code.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a chalazion clamp and chalazion forceps?
None in the device definition: the GMDN term “Eyelid clamp, reusable” says the device may be referred to as entropion forceps, Downes lid clamp or chalazion clamp, and the AccessGUDID record for a Lahey chalazion forceps carries that term.
Is a chalazion clamp reusable?
The GMDN definition for this device type states that it is reusable, and the Lahey chalazion forceps record in AccessGUDID shows it as supplied not sterile and requiring steam sterilization before use. Other models may differ, so follow the model’s instructions for use.
What FDA class is a chalazion clamp?
Class I (general controls), exempt from premarket notification, under product code HNR (21 CFR 886.4350).
Equipment category
Suppliers group instruments of this kind under medical forceps.
Sources
- 21 CFR 886.4350, Ophthalmic surgical instrument (eCFR), https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-886.4350, checked 2026-10-31.
- FDA Product Classification, code HNR, https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfpcd/classification.cfm?id=HNR, checked 2026-10-31.
- AccessGUDID, device 00810799033468 (Lahey chalazion forceps), https://accessgudid.nlm.nih.gov/devices/00810799033468, checked 2026-10-31.
- Akman-Karakas A, Khan S, Khachemoune A. Modified chalazion clamp: novel applications. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol 2024;17(3):18-20, https://jcadonline.com/modified-chalazion-clamp-novel-applications/, checked 2026-10-31.
