Ptosis
Eyelid drooping is excess sagging of the upper eyelid. The edge of the upper eyelid may be lower than it should be (ptosis) or there may be excess baggy skin in the upper eyelid (dermatochalasis). Eyelid drooping is often a combination of both conditions.
The problem is also called ptosis.
A drooping eyelid is most often due to:
- Weakness of the muscle that raises the eyelid
- Damage to the nerves that control that muscle
- Looseness of the skin of the upper eyelids
Ptosis surgery is done as an outpatient procedure in your ophthalmologist’s office. A local anesthesia will be used to numb your eye and the area around it.
Sometimes, the surgeon may only need to make a small adjustment to the lid’s lifting muscle. Extra skin from the eyelid also may be removed to help the eyelid lift properly. For more severe ptosis, the levator muscle may need to be strengthened and reattached to the eyelid.
