Ptosis of the upper eyelid - what is it?

Ptosis (from the Greek "ptosis") translates as "fall". It is a disease in which the upper eyelid is lower than the lower edge of the iris, 2 mm or more, or it is omitted when comparing two eyelids, that is one below the other. With a healthy form, the edge of the eyelid should cover the iris by 1.5 mm.

What caused the ptosis of the upper eyelid:

- an underdeveloped muscle responsible for opening the upper eyelid;

- consequences of diseases of the nerve, encephalitis and other diseases. It can be a cause of paralysis of the nerve and innervation of the oculomotor muscle.

Ptosis of the upper eyelid is observed not only in adults, but also in children. The disease can be either acquired or congenital. At any age, this disease can appear due to trauma to the eye or any eye disease.

Types of ptosis:

- one-sided or two-sided;

- acquired or congenital;

- incomplete or complete.

Degrees of the disease:

1 st - eyelid closes third of the pupil;

2nd - the eyelid closes two-thirds of the pupil;

3rd - the eyelid closes the pupil of the eye completely.

Eyesight in the eye, which is affected by ptosis, will gradually decrease, may even reach its full loss. Sometimes, there is strabismus and amblyopia. To compensate for the loss of this disease, children strain their forehead or throw their heads back.

If ptosis is acquired, then the patient's muscle, lifting the eyelid, is more elastic and elastic. This type of disease is usually bilateral. If the disease is congenital, then it is likely to be one-sided.

In different patients, the degree of ptosis will be different. In addition to the lowered eye, eye irritation can also be observed, the inability to fully open and close it, rapid eye fatigue , constantly inclined head, strabismus (or strabismus), bifurcation in the eyes.

How to diagnose ptosis of the upper eyelid

If you want the treatment to be successful, it is better to understand the cause of the disease. The doctor will examine the strength of the muscles, the height of the eyelid, the symmetry of the position of the eyes, the completeness of the movement. In the diagnosis of children, you need to identify the ambipolarity.

It is important to determine which patient has ptosis. Treatment of acquired or congenital disease differs from each other. In the event that ptosis is congenital, it is the consequence of the degeneration of the specific muscle responsible for opening the upper eyelid, and this is not the reason for the aponeurosis. The muscle lengthens, and its compaction occurs.

Ptosis of the upper eyelid: treatment

Therapy of this disease involves surgery. If the ptosis is congenital, then shorten the muscle responsible for raising the eyelid, and if acquired, then shorten the stretched aponeurosis muscle.

Correction of the upper eyelid through the operation is performed under local anesthesia or general anesthesia. The duration of the operation is from half an hour to an hour.

During the operation, a thin band of skin is cut out, an incision is made on the orbital septum. Further, the aponeurosis of the muscle, which is responsible for the movement of the upper eyelid, is dissected. Thus, it becomes short. Then it should be sewn to the tarsal plate slightly lower. Tarzalia is the cartilage of the century.

By the end of the operation, the acquired ptosis is all sewn with a cosmetic suture. In addition to surgery, blepharoplasty can be performed immediately.

If the ptosis is congenital, then a small strip of skin is removed, and the septum is cut. The muscle, which moves the upper eyelid, gently stands out, and to shorten it, several seams are applied, that is, its plication takes place. The wound is closed with a cosmetic suture. If the ptosis is strongly pronounced, sometimes they resort to sewing the eyelid to the muscle of the forehead.

Postoperative period

After the operation, the treatment is usually successful, and the result is fixed for life. The dressing, imposed after surgery, is removed after 3 hours. Pains practically are not present. After a few days, you can already remove the stitches. For a week bruises disappear.