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Ptosis
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Ptosis or drooping of the upper eyelid, may occur for several reasons such as: disease, injury, birth defect, previous eye surgery and age. In most cases, it is caused by either a weakness of the levator muscle (muscle that raises the lid), or a problem with the nerve that sends messages to the muscle.
Children born with ptosis may require surgical correction of the lid if it covers the pupil. In some cases, it may be associated with a crossed or misaligned eye (strabismus). Left untreated, ptosis may prevent vision from developing properly, resulting in amblyopia, or lazy eye.
Patients with ptosis often have difficult blinking, which may lead to irritation, infection and eyestrain. If a sudden and obvious lid droop is developed, an ophthalmologist should be consulted immediately.
The most obvious sign of ptosis is the drooping eyelid. Depending on how severely the lid droops, people with ptosis may have difficulty seeing. Sometimes people tilt their heads back to try to see under the lid, or raise their eyebrows repeatedly to try to lift the eyelids.
The degree of droopiness varies from one person to the next. If you think you may have ptosis, compare a recent photo of your face to one from 10 or 20 years ago, and you'll likely see a difference in the eyelid skin.
Ptosis repair is usually completed under general anesthesia in infants and young children and under local anesthesia in adults. The surgeon must make an incision in the drooping eyelid, and carefully advance and tighten the levator muscle, which elevates the upper eyelid. The eyelid is often carefully compared to the opposite eye in terms of lid height in awake patients, however, this is not possible in patients under general anesthesia (infants and young children). In children with poor levator muscle function, a “levator sling” may be used. This is a more complex procedure in which muscles of the brow or forehead may be used to assist in elevation of the upper eyelid. Once the lid height is secured in the desired location, the eyelid incision is closed with tiny sutures. One or both eyes may need to be treated.
The Eye Centers of Racine and Kenosha provide the on-line information above solely for educational and communication purposes. Nothing contained on the site should be misconstrued as personal medical advice. None of the information published on the Eye Center website is intended to replace, supplement, or augment a medical visit with or medical advice from an eye care professional concerning the medical care of the viewer / user of the site. The Eye Centers of Racine and Kenosha disclaim any and all liability for injury or other damages resulting from the use of any information obtained from this website.
