Ptosis Correction

What is Ptosis Surgery?

PTOSIS (pronounced “TOE-sis”) or a droopy eyelid, refers to a drooping of the upper eyelid of one (unilateral ptosis) or both eyes (bilateral ptosis). The droop may be barely noticeable, or the eyelid can descend over the entire pupil. It can affect both children (congenital ptosis) and adults (acquired ptosis). The most common ptosis cause is related to aging (involutional ptosis).
It is often seen that people with a droopy eye raise their eyebrows unconsciously (resulting in horizontal forehead lines). If the skin is relatively tight, some eyelid elevation can happen with eyebrow raising. Ptosis repair is not performed by most cosmetic and plastic surgeons as ptosis surgery is a highly specialized and delicate procedure.

Benefits of Ptosis Surgery

After ptosis surgery, patients can look forward to the many benefits it can offer. A surgeon regularly performs ptosis surgery and all of patients enjoy the major improvements the surgery brings. Whether you have a mild, moderate, or more severe case of eyelid ptosis, after surgery you will experience significant improvements in your vision (both peripheral and above) where part of your eye was previously covered by upper eyelid drooping. In addition, you will see an improvement of symmetry of your eyelid height and contour, restoring a normal anatomical appearance of your eyelids. Lastly, you will look much more awake, refreshed, and younger which can increasingly have positive impacts on your self-esteem.

PTOSIS SYMPTOMS

The most obvious sign of ptosis is the drooping upper eyelid. Depending on how severely the eyelid droops, people with ptosis are often concerned about the cosmetic appearance. Vision may also be affected depending on how low the eyelid is relative to the pupil. Sometimes people with ptosis tilt their heads back to try to see or raise their eyebrows constantly try to lift the eyelids.

• Increased heaviness of the eyelid
• Impaired vision
• Tilting of the head to see better
• Constant raising of the eyebrow in order to lift the eyelid
• Headache due to forehead muscle strain and eyestrain

The degree of droopiness is individual. If you think you may have ptosis, compare a recent photo of your face with one from the past to see if your eyelid position has changed. As you get older, there’s a little bit more stretch and that compensatory action doesn’t work as well. It’s very common for people who have a long history of ptosis to say it’s worse at the end of the day (heavy eyelids). Some people with ptosis are particularly bothered if the eye that is being affected is the dominant eye.