Ptosis: Causes, symptoms, treatments of droopy eyelids

Ptosis is a medical term used for droopy upper eyelid, which may affect one or both eyes and in severe cases it may be necessary to lift the chin to see from under the eyelid. Doctors reveal its causes, symptoms and treatments

If your family and friends notice that you may constantly have a tired appearance, it can be due to ptosis (pronounced as TOE-SIS), which is a medical term used for droopy upper eyelid and it may affect one or both eyes. When the upper eyelid drops from its normal position to a lower level, it is called blepharoptosis or upper eyelid ptosis and with ptosis, the upper part of the visual fields gets obstructed while in severe cases, it may be necessary to lift the chin to see from under the eye lid or it can be present since birth, known as congenital Ptosis.

Ptosis: Causes, symptoms, treatments of droopy eyelids (Twitter/DollarJahan)

Causes:

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Priyanka Singh (MBBS, MS, DNB, FAICO), Director and Consultant Ophthalmologist at Neytra Eye Centre in New Delhi, revealed, “The reasons can be the weakness of the muscle that elevates the eyelid or the weakness of nerves. It can also occur due to trauma associated with a difficult delivery. If the Ptosis was not present at birth and develops at later stages of life, it is called Acquired Ptosis. It can be due to age-related weakness of muscles and sagging of skin, eye or orbital trauma, swelling or mass of eyelids, brain tumor, diabetes, or myasthenia gravis.”

Dr Shruthi Tara, CMO and Consultant-Oculoplasty at Sankara Eye Hospital in Coimbatore, shared, “Children can be born with ptosis due to mal-development of the muscle responsible to keep the lid in its position. It can also occur in adults, due to age factor, trauma or seen sometimes in contact lens wearers. It can also be owing to certain neurological conditions.”

According to her, Ptosis is caused due to weakness of the eyelid muscles, it may be present at birth, can occur as an ageing process, after cataract or retinal surgery, long term usage of contact lens or certain nerve related conditions.

Symptoms and concerns:

Dr Priyanka Singh explained, “It can develop suddenly or gradually depending on the causes. As such Ptosis does not cause any health problems or any pain. Mostly the concerns are cosmetic only. In congenital Ptosis, it is usually noticed by parents. The effect is severe in children as it impairs vision by covering the eye (partially or fully depending upon the severity) leading to Lazy eye or Amblyopia. Due to this, the child constantly elevates the eyebrow which tires out the muscles of the face.”

Treatment:

Asserting that surgery is the only way to correct droopy lids, Dr Shruthi Tara pointed out that medicines or spectacles cannot cure it. She said, “The surgery is a simple yet gratifying surgical procedure. Ptosis, if left untreated especially in children, can cause permanent damage to the vision.” However, Dr Priyanka Singh opined, “After taking the history and doing the examination, the ophthalmologist determines the cause of Ptosis and carries out few other tests if required. Medical treatment is required only in few cases of acquired Ptosis.”

She added, “Treatment is mostly surgical which is done for cosmetic purposes or to correct vision impairments. The type of treatment depends on the severity of Ptosis, its cause and the involvement of one or both eyes. Crutch glasses are given where surgery cannot be done (like in old age). Crutch glasses are extra attachments that are adjusted to normal eyeglasses to hold the eyelids in position.”

Ptosis should be taken as a concern especially in children and in sudden onset since droopy eyelids can sometimes be a sign of a more dangerous condition.