Ptosis is the drooping of your upper eyelid. It can affect both children as well as adults. Your eyelid may droop only slightly or it may droop so much as to cover the entire pupil (the hole in the colored part of your eye). It may affect one or both of your eyes.
Ptosis may be caused by weakness of the muscles that raise your eyelid or damage to the nerves that control the muscles or the looseness of the eyelid skin.
Ptosis may be present at birth (called congenital ptosis). Or it may develop due to the normal aging process.
The most common cause in adults is a separation or stretching of the main muscle that pulls up the eyelid. It can be an after effect of an eye surgery like cataract or an injury.
An eye tumor, diabetes or neurological disorders like stroke, myasthenia gravis, and Horner syndrome are other causes.
Your doctor will do a physical examination to identify the cause. Special tests may be done for diabetes, myasthenia gravis, thyroid problems etc. These may include CT scans or MRI of the brain, MR Angiography, etc.
If the Ptosis is caused by an underlying disease, treatment specific to that disease is given.
If you do not want to undergo surgery, you can have glasses made which have an attachment called a crutch. This crutch can help hold your eyelid up.
Surgery may be required for cosmetic purposes or if the ptosis interferes with vision. Eyelid Surgery is called Blepharoplasty.
Ptosis surgery involves tightening of the muscle that elevates the eyelid.
In severe cases, when a muscle called the levator is very weak, a sling operation may be done which will enable your forehead muscles to raise your eyelids.
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