Ptosis

What is Ptosis?
Ptosis is drooping of the eyelid.

Who Gets Ptosis?
Ptosis can occur at any age, but is seen most commonly in adults. A drooping eyelid can fall across the pupil and interfere with vision. Patients often report that their vision is better by manually elevating the eyelid margin with their fingertips. When a drooping eyelid affects the vision, it can be repaired. In adults, the usual cause of a drooping eyelid, or ptosis, is a broken muscle tendon in the eyelid.

Children can be born with or develop ptosis at a young age, giving them asymmetrical or low-set eyelids. In some cases, visual development can be impaired due to ptosis in children. An eye examination is necessary early in life when children have congenital ptosis. Children with congenital ptosis need to be monitored and vision assessed during the first years in life. If the vision is not affected, congenital ptosis repair is usually planned between 3 and 5 years of age.

What to Expect During Your Consultation
Dr. Spindle will spend time with you discussing your medical history and medications as well as doing a complete facial and visual examination. Blood thinners and other medications will be discussed at this time.

Dr. Spindle will take measurements and photographs to aid in the surgical planning and evaluation as there are different techniques utilized in ptosis repair. Because every patient is different, Dr. Spindle will then formulate a customized treatment plan with options that will provide you with the best results. This includes discussing what you want to achieve with surgery, along with any risks that may be involved.

What to Expect the Day of Your Procedure
In adults, the repair of ptosis involves an outpatient procedure under IV sedation with local anesthesia. If the condition is present in both eyes, they can be done at the same time. Patient cooperation during the procedure is essential to optimize the eyelid height, contour and symmetry. The surgery is typically painless and lasts approximately 90 minutes.

In children, this type of surgery is performed under general anesthesia as an outpatient procedure.