Eyelid ptosis refers to the drooping of one or both eyelids and is caused by weakness of the muscle responsible for raising the eyelid, damage to the nerves which control those muscles, or laxity of the skin of the upper eyelids. The eyelid droop may be barely noticeable, or in severe cases, the lid can descend over the entire pupil. Drooping eyelid can occur in both children and adults and can be caused by the normal aging process, a congenital abnormality (present before birth) or the result of an injury or disease. Drooping eyelid occurs most often due to aging.

Ptosis Symptoms and Signs

Causes of eyelid ptosis are diverse and can widely vary. However, the most obvious sign of ptosis is the drooping eyelid. Depending on how severely the lid droops, people with ptosis may have difficulty seeing or closing the eye completely. People have been known to tilt their heads back to try to see under the lid, or raise their eyebrows repeatedly to try to lift the eyelids. The degree of droopiness varies from one person to the next. If you think you may have ptosis, compare a recent photo of your face to one from 10 or 20 years ago, and you’ll likely see a difference in the eyelid skin.

Additional signs and symptoms that may be attributed to ptosis are eye fatigue as a result of straining to keep the affected eye(s) open, crossed or misaligned eye, or double vision.

What Causes Ptosis?

Eyelid ptosis occurs when the muscle that usually raises the eyelid is not strong enough to do so. It can affect one eye or both eyes and is more common in the aging or elderly, as muscles in the eyelids may begin to deteriorate. One can, however, be born with ptosis, as it is hereditary. Ptosis may be caused by damage/trauma to the muscle which raises the eyelid, or damage to the nerve which controls this muscle. Such damage could be a sign or symptom of an underlying disease such as diabetes mellitus, a brain tumor, and diseases which may cause weakness in muscles or nerve damage, such as myasthenia gravis.