Ptosis
Ptosis (pronounced TOE-sis) is the medical term for drooping eyelids. A person with ptosis is not able to lift one or both upper eyelids to uncover the eye completely. Ptosis may occur for several reasons such as: disease, injury, birth defect, previous eye surgery and age. In most cases, it is caused by either a weakness of the levator muscle (muscle that raises the lid), or a problem with the nerve that sends messages to the muscle.
Children born with ptosis
may require surgical correction of the lid if it covers the pupil. In some
cases, it may be associated with a crossed or misaligned eye (strabismus). Left
untreated, ptosis may prevent vision from developing properly, resulting in
amblyopia, or lazy eye.
Patients with ptosis often have difficult blinking, which may lead to
irritation, infection and eyestrain. If a sudden and obvious lid droop is
developed, an ophthalmologist should be consulted immediately.
The causes of ptosis are quite diverse. The symptoms are dependent on the
underlying problem and may include:
Drooping lid (may affect one or both eyes)
Irritation
Difficulty closing the eye completely
Eye fatigue from straining to keep eye open
Children may tilt head backward in order to lift the lid
Crossed or misaligned eye
Double vision
Many people want to correct ptosis because it damages their appearance. In most
cases, the sagging upper eyelid results in a loss of the superior (upper) field
of vision. In severe cases, ptosis may be present at birth and, if left
untreated, can permanently damage vision by forcing the unaffected eye to do all
the work while letting the affected eye degenerate.