Repair of Ptosis, Drooping Eyelids

In the upper eyelid -- two muscles raise the lid, one muscle closes it. When the upper lid does not open fully, the condition is called Ptosis. The drooping can affect one eye or both. It may block the upper field of your vision or partially cover the pupil, seriously impairing your vision.

Ptosis can be caused by slippage or weakening of one of the muscles in the lid, or by decreased nerve impulses to the muscles. It may be occur as a result of natural aging, trauma, or muscular or neurological disease.

No matter what its cause, symptoms can include difficulty keeping your eyes open, eye strain, and muscle fatigue. The muscle fatigue is caused by the extra effort and eyebrow arching required to fully open the eye.

Surgery to correct the condition generally involves tightening one or both of the muscles responsible for raising the eyelid.