Ptosis or ‘droopy’ eyelid – A ptotic or droopy eyelid is one of the most frequent reasons to visit an ophthalmic plastic surgeon and it is also one of the most frequent additional findings when somebody consults us for an upper eyelid correction. Because excess skin can mask the position of the eyelid border, people are sometimes not aware that their eyelid is actually positioned too low. This therefore needs to be explained to them, since leaving it uncorrected during upper eyelid blepharoplasty surgery, an otherwise well performed intervention can lead to un underwhelming result.

When correcting a ptosis we operate on the muscle that determines the position of the upper eyelid and moves it upwards. This muscle is ´tightened´ as to position the upper eyelid slightly higher. When done as an add-on procedure in upper eyelid blepharoplasty the muscle can be reached through the same incision. This is done when the ptosis is quite pronounced.
More often than not, the eyelid is positioned too low by just 1 -2 mm or so. In that case the approach can also be from the inside of the eyelid, making use of the blepharoplasty incision and room that is created by it, to fixate and hide sutures. Making it a minimally invasive combined procedure.

When only the ptosis has to be corrected the approach can also be via the inside of the eyelid (transconjunctival) and without a visible scar. During your consultation these different options will be discussed with you thoroughly so that you can make an informed decision about which procedure suits you best.

For general information about pre- and postoperative care, see section on Blepharoplasty.