Droopy Eyelids Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences What is droopy eyelids? Droopy eyelids is a term that collectively describes one or more of the following conditions: • Dermatochalasis (lax upper eyelid skin) • Ptosis (lowered upper eyelid) • Eyebrow ptosis (lowered eyebrow) What are the symptoms? • Obliteration of upper eyelid crease (“double eyelid” becoming less obvious or not seen) • Upper eyelid fullness and heaviness • Headache or eyebrow ache • Eye fatigue or tiredness • Blockage of the field of vision e.g. having to force open the eyelids to see What are the treatments for droopy eyelid conditions? These conditions can be corrected with minor day surgery procedures under local anaesthesia with sedation. The sedation is given to you by the anaesthetist through an injection in your vein to calm you during surgery. The procedure may be performed for functional or cosmetic reasons.
Functional surgery is done for severe cases that affect the visual function. • Dermatochalasis is an ageing change characterised by lax, apparently redundant upper eyelid skin due to loss of skin elasticity. It can be treated by blepharoplasty (“double eyelid” surgery) to remove the lax upper eyelid skin and reshape the eyelid crease if necessary.
Figure 1. Dermatochalasis of both upper eyelids
Figure 2. Appearance after upper blepharoplasty
• Ptosis may occur in early life (congenital ptosis) due to abnormal levator muscle development. Untreated ptosis may obscure vision to cause ‘lazy eye’ (amblyopia) in children.