As we age, our eyelids begin to stretch and the muscles and tendons within them weaken. This stretching is often called “droopy eyelid”, but the medical name is ptosis. When this stretching becomes severe enough to cover the pupil, this issue moves from being simply unsightly to vision impeding. Ptosis can affect one or both eyelids, resulting in slight or severe drooping, which can eventually block vision completely. Causes include:
- Age-related weakening of the muscle
- Congenital weakness
- Neurological disorders
- Trauma
How is ptosis treated?
Ptosis repair surgery can be an effective treatment for improving both vision and appearance. Treatment usually involves tightening of the levator muscles, which are used to lift the eyelid. This can cause stiffness in the eyelid for the first couple weeks after treatment. After the eyelid has completely healed, you should no longer have droopy eyelids and your eyes should return to normal, comfortable function.
If you have a very mild case of ptosis, you may consider eye exercises and a more structured sleep schedule to see if you can correct the condition without surgery. While there are a handful of options outside of surgery that may help to treat ptosis, the only true long-term solution is eyelid surgery.
Specialized testing is completed prior to surgery to determine the best method of correction for each patient’s individual needs, yet the goal is to elevate the eyelid to allow full peripheral vision. Eyelid surgery is a challenging procedure as every eye is different. While major complications of ptosis repair are rare, an ineffective surgery may require additional surgeries to create an ideal outcome. Tightening the levator muscle is more complex than many other cosmetic eyelid surgeries. When looking for ptosis treatment you should only consider an expert.
Center For Sight takes pride in its oculoplasty expertise. We believe our reputation as experts in eye care should make us your first choice when deciding where to treat your ptosis. Center For Sight is ready to help. Use our online appointment hub or call us at (702) 724-2020 to schedule an evaluation.