My Drooping Eyelids Affect My Vision: What Can Help?

Ptosis is the medical name for an eyelid that sags and droops. The condition causes the skin of your eyelid to fall over your eye, blocking your vision and affecting your appearance.

Some people who have ptosis live with it, and it doesn't bother them – but if it does, what are the treatment options? Eye drops and custom glasses can help, but they don't permanently fix the problem like a brow lift or blepharoplasty.

If you’re ready to do something about your droopy eyelids, Dr. Mark S. Elliott and Dr. Lee K. Thornton at Meridian Plastic Surgery in Meridian, Mississippi, can help.

Dr. Elliott and Dr. Thornton are experienced plastic surgeons offering conservative and surgical treatments for cosmetic concerns like ptosis.

Drooping eyelids – what's the cause?

Droopy eyelids affect people of all ages. It happens when the levator muscle that lifts the eyelid malfunctions and doesn't do its job properly.

There are two types of ptosis: congenital and acquired. Congenital ptosis occurs at birth when the levator muscle doesn't form properly, allowing the eyelid to droop. Acquired ptosis typically strikes older adults when the levator muscle weakens and leads to sagging. 

The biggest concern with ptosis is interference with your field of vision. Depending on the severity of the condition, the sagging skin may partially limit vision or completely impede it.

Injuries to your eye can also lead to ptosis at any point in life. Certain types of eye surgery can also damage the levator muscle, leading to sagging skin around your eyelid.

Are there home treatments that can help?

Most people who have ptosis automatically assume that they require surgery to fix the problem. However, other treatments can help. Conservative measures aren't for everyone with sagging eyelids, but they can be helpful for some.

After discussing your symptoms and evaluating your vision and eyelids, our team may suggest the following treatments before recommending surgery:

Medications

Oxymetazoline is a medication in eye drop form that helps with ptosis. The active ingredient targets the levator muscle, enabling it to contract and pull the eyelid upward. It doesn’t work for everyone, but it does show promising results.

Specialized glasses

Specialized glasses are available to strengthen the levator muscle and improve ptosis symptoms.

If you have advanced ptosis or it severely inhibits your vision, conservative treatments may not be the best option. You may require surgery if you've tried conservative measures without significant relief.

Surgical procedures for drooping eyelids

At Meridian Plastic Surgery, we offer two types of procedures to treat ptosis. Depending on the cause of the drooping eyelid, we offer a brow lift or blepharoplasty to correct the problem and enhance your appearance and vision.

A brow lift is a surgical procedure we suggest if your drooping eyelids are caused by sagging skin around the brows and forehead. These muscles weaken with age, allowing the skin to relax and your eyelids to droop.

During a brow lift, our expert team works with precision around your eyebrows and forehead to remove deep wrinkles and correct sagging skin. We sometimes perform a brow lift with a blepharoplasty to optimize your results.

If you don't have an issue with your forehead or brows sagging and have ptosis, we recommend a blepharoplasty. During this procedure, our team removes sagging skin around your affected eyelid and lifts the tissues to remove the drooping. Both procedures are highly effective for saggy eyelids, depending on the cause of the problem. 

To learn more about the surgical procedures that can improve ptosis, call our Meridian, Mississippi, team today to schedule a consultation or book an appointment using our convenient online scheduling tool.