Ptosis Correction

Treatment of ptosis often involves corrective surgery to raise the droopy eye lid back to its normal position. This is done by tightening the levator muscles involved in lifting the eye lid.

Surgery is done on an outpatient basis using a local anesthetic. During this procedure, a small cut is made in the crease of your eye lid, and the muscle controlling the movement of the upper eye lid is shortened. Sometimes excess eyelid skin is removed as well, a procedure called blepharoplasty. Finally, the cut is closed with dissolvable stitches.

Your surgeon may employ yet another procedure called a frontal sling or brow suspension if the muscles are unusually weak. In this procedure, a sling of tissue is taken from the region surrounding your knee. This tissue is attached on to the eye lid and forehead muscle, just under the eyebrow. This enables the forehead muscles to lift the eyelid.

Risks and Complications

As is the case with most surgeries, ptosis surgery involves some risks and complications. These are specific to individuals, and therefore, not all people are affected. Some of the complications include bleeding, infection, adverse reaction to the local anesthetic, and incomplete closure of the eyelid. Also, following the surgery of one eye lid, the eyelids may not be perfectly symmetrical.