COMMON EYELID PROBLEMS

• Dermatochalasis is the excessive, puffy or lax skin around the eyelids which can cause impairment of vision in addition to making you appear tired or older than you are.  Dermatochalasis occurs with natural aging as the skin and surrounding tissues of the eye become more lax and the normal fat around our eyes protrudes forward.  Surgery can correct dermatochalasis and involves making an incision in your natural upper eyelid crease or below the lash line in the lower eyelid to camouflage any scars.  Excessive fat, lax muscles and skin can be removed and/or repositioned during the surgery and may be combined with other procedures such as eyebrow or forehead lift, midface lift and/or skin resurfacing.  

• Ptosis is drooping of the upper eyelid(s) which may interfere with your vision.  Patients with ptosis have difficulty keeping their eyelids open causing them to raise their eyebrows or turn their chin upwards to see clearly.  Children with ptosis may develop amblyopia, or "lazy eye" due to limitation in their vision.  There are many causes of ptosis, most often due to age as the tissues of the eyelid stretch and can also occur following routine eye surgery (e.g. cataract, glaucoma or refractive eye eye surgery).  Trauma can cause the eyelid to droop as can neurologic disease (e.g. myasthenia gravis, multiple sclerosis, stroke).  Ptosis can be corrected surgically.  There are different ways to approach ptosis depending on the cause and amount of ptosis present.  The goal of ptosis surgery is to elevate the eyelid to allow full field of vision and to achieve symmetry with the opposite upper eyelid with a natural contour.

• Ectropion is a common condition in which the eyelid is rolled outward or sagging away from the eye.  This is often due to aging and weakening of the tissues around the eye.  Other causes include facial nerve paralysis (e.g. Bell's palsy, stroke), trauma, scarring, previous surgery, benign/malignant cancers of the skin.  Ectropion can lead to tearing, mucous discharge, recurrent infections, crusting, sandy or gritty sensations and chronic irritation.  Ectropion is repair surgically and should be repaired to prevent permanent damage to the eye.

• Entropion is a common condition in which the eyelid is rolled inward toward the eye.  This is often due to aging and weakening of eyelid muscles.  Other causes of entropion include trauma, scarring, previous surgery or congenital entropion.  Entropion can lead to the eyelashes rubbing against the eye causing tearing, sensitivity to light, mucous discharge, recurrent infections or even corneal abrasions and ulcers.  There are different approaches to correcting entropion depending on the amount of entropion present.  Entropion should be repaired as soon as possible to prevent permanent damage to the eye.