Ptosis: Symptoms, causes and treatment

What is Ptosis ?

Ptosis is when the eye muscle is weak and unable to completely open the eye which results in limiting or even blocking the normal vision. The cause is the stretching of levator muscle which can be caused by aging or injury. To open an eye, it is the process between eyelid, nerve and eye muscle. In short, ptosis is caused by the inefficiency function of eye muscle. 

Symptoms, causes and treatment

1. The upper eyelid droops over the eye and looks tired. This can be called lazy-eye. You may feel tired around your eyelid and cannot open your eyes as usual which can result in bad personality.

2. Incompletely open the eye. Eyelid covers the eyeball which interrupts vision.

3. Raising of brows in an attempt to raise the eyelid for complete vision, uneven eyebrows and wrinkles on the forehead are also signs of ptosis. When eye muscle is weak and unable to lift the eyelid, muscles nearby such as muscle around the forehead and eyebrow will be used stead to raise the eyelid. The stretching of these muscles for a long time can cause wrinkles.

4. Have multiple creases on the upper eyelid which is caused by the inability of eyelid muscle that cannot completely stretch.

5. Have sunken eyes and hollowing. The sunken eyes can be caused by many reasons such as intense weight loss, genetics, aging, less sleep and also ptosis. The sunken eyes can be seen in the patient who has more space between eyelid and eyebrow bone than others. In addition, eyelid fat loss from aging can make the ptosis symptom even worse. 

What is the cause of Ptosis ?? 

1. Congenital or birth defect

2. Aging 

3. Some actions that can lead to ptosis such as using computer or mobile phone without resting, excessive eye rubbing or often wearing contact lenses

4. Side effect or mistake of eyelid surgery

5. A chronic autoimmune disorder in which antibodies destroy the communication between nerves and muscle, called Myasthenia Gravis 

If you have Ptosis symptoms as described above, doctor may recommend ptosis correction surgery. Ptosis correction is quite a complicated procedure, so it must be performed by an expert doctor. During the procedure, the Levator muscle is tightened. This will lift the eyelid up into the desired position to improve the appearance of the face and to completely open eyes which improve the vision. 

Usually, ptosis correction is performed along with the upper lid blepharoplasty. To ensure, it is recommended to have a personal consultation with a doctor. Doctor will analyze and identify the problem and use her expertise to rectify issues.