Ptosis

‘Drooping’ of the eyelid can be present from birth or develop later in old age. It is a cosmetic blemish but if severe, it restricts vision as well. The treatment in majority of cases consists of surgical correction. Surgery involves either strengthening the muscle, which elevates the lid, called LPS resection, or lifting up the lid with the help of a graft. This graft can be taken from the patient’s thigh area or can be an artificial sling material. This procedure is known as ‘Frontalis Sling’.

When ptosis occurs in adults, it may be the result of a systemic disease, such as myasthenia gravis, which can be treated medically. It can also follow muscle or nerve damage in other parts of the body, or tumors of the lid. When ptosis occurs suddenly in one eye, disease of the brain itself must be considered, and the patient should be seen at once by a neurologist.