Ptosis (also known as drooping eyelids) is a condition that occurs when the levator muscle controlling the upper lid loses its ability to contract. It can be caused by trauma, surgery, or ageing. However, it can also be hereditary. Ptosis Treatment options include surgery and botox injections with varying success rates and risks involved with each option.
What is Ptosis?
Ptosis is the medical term for a drooping or sagging eyelid. It can be caused by ageing, heredity, injury to the muscle that lifts your upper lid (levator palpebrae), and certain types of eye surgery. It can also be a symptom of other disorders, including stroke, myasthenia gravis, and thyroid eye disease.
Ptosis is usually not painful or bothersome, but it may cause the upper eyelid to cover one or both eyes, causing reduced vision. In addition, if it gets worse over time, your cheek muscles might start to sag, causing your mouth to droop.
Symptoms of Ptosis
Ptosis is most commonly characterized by a drooping of the upper eyelid but may also include +..other symptoms such as:
- Eyelids that are uneven in height. One lid will be higher than the other, or one eye might have an open angle while the other doesn’t.
- The eyes are not lining up properly in the eye socket.
- A droopy eyelid that does not completely close when blinking.
- Crusty eyes or red, irritated skin around the eyelids and under it because of lack of moisture.
- Watering from one eye more than another (if only one lid is affected).
What Are The Causes of Ptosis?
Ptosis is caused by problems with the muscles and nerves that control eye movement. For example, the levator muscle, which attaches to the upper lid from inside your nose cavity, goes into spasm or stops working properly – this can happen for several reasons, including:
- Injury or nerve damage to the eyelid area, including from surgery, a car accident, or tumour
- Overuse of eye muscles through activities such as reading for too long without blinking – can lead to spasms in the levator muscle, which will cause ptosis.
What Are The Best Treatment Options For Ptosis?
There are two main treatments for ptosis: surgery and medical treatment. For surgical options, a procedure can correct the problem by removing excess skin or tightening the muscle called levator palpebrae superioris. For medical treatments, botulinum toxin injections to paralyze muscles in front of the eye may be an option.
- Blepharoplasty: The removal of excess skin and fat from the area around the eye.
- Levator Palpebrae Superioris Muscle: A muscle that helps raise the upper lid; this surgery can correct ptosis by removing extra tissue or tightening it.
- Botulinum Toxin Injections (BOTOX): Injections of Botulinum toxin paralyze muscles in front of the eye for a period.
- Ptosis Eyelid Surgery: Surgery to correct ptosis by removing excess skin or tightening muscle; this operation is more invasive than botox injections and may be less effective on symptoms other than droopiness.
Conclusion
The treatment options for the condition can be overwhelming and difficult to navigate. Therefore, you must take the time to educate yourself on your specific condition, as well as all of your available treatments, before making any decisions about what will work best for you. Knowing this information is empowering and puts a stop in place for anyone who tries to tell you what is best for your condition.