Pathologies and Treatments

Droopy eyelid

SYMPTOMS
TREATMENTS
PROCEDURES

Droopy eyelid, also known as palpebral ptosis, is a lowering of the upper eyelid that causes the eye to be more covered than usual. This condition prevents the patient from fully opening their eyes, leading to visual fatigue and impaired vision.

Palpebral ptosis is a condition that can affect people of all ages, although it occurs more frequently in adults. In children, a droopy eyelid can cause amblyopia (lazy eye), since the eye does not receive the necessary visual stimulation to develop normal vision.

Symptoms

Age is one of the most common causes of droopy eyelid, but there are also other less frequent causes, such as allergic reactions, muscular and neurological diseases, as well as trauma.

There is also the possibility of having congenital palpebral ptosis from birth. This occurs when the muscle fibers do not develop properly and are replaced by fibrous tissue, causing a droopy eyelid from a very young age.

Treatments

The treatment for this condition consists of strengthening the levator muscle of the droopy eyelid through shortening. Only in cases of paralytic palpebral ptosis is frontalis suspension required.

The main techniques used to correct a droopy eyelid are:

  • Anterior approach: the levator muscle is reinforced through a small incision in the natural crease of the eyelid. This incision is also performed in blepharoplasty, so both problems could be corrected in one operation. The scar is not visible.
  • Transconjunctival approach or Putterman Technique: consists of reinforcing the levator muscle through the transconjunctival route. There is no scar, as no skin incision is made.
  • Frontal Suspension: used if the previous techniques are not effective. The eyelid is connected to the frontalis muscle, so the patient opens the eyes by raising the eyebrows through the action of the frontalis muscle.

In children, if there is no risk of amblyopia, surgery is not recommended. If the opposite is true, this operation becomes urgent.

Postoperative care

It is advisable to apply cold and use eye drops, as well as apply an ointment to the scar to reduce bruising during the first days after surgery. Within a maximum of two weeks, the patient will be fully recovered.

Can it be prevented?

Droopy eyelid cannot be prevented. It is not a condition caused by visual overexertion, nor can it be prevented through exercises.

Blepharoplasty

Medicina regenerativa: Endoret

Con el tratamiento de medicina regenerativa Endoret propiciamos la reparación de la superficie ocular afectada por la sequedad ocular. Se trata de un plasma rico en factores de crecimiento para el tratamiento de las lesiones de la superficie ocular elaborado a partir de la sangre del mismo paciente. Con esta formulación individualizada se consigue una tolerancia completa y una efectividad óptima. Esta opción terapéutica revolucionaria es muy eficaz en casos de defectos epiteliales persistentes o úlceras corneales. Asimismo se puede aplicar después de una cirugía refractiva corneal, una cirugía ocular o en el Síndrome de Sjögren.

Procedures

Slit-lamp examination

Medicina regenerativa: Endoret

Con el tratamiento de medicina regenerativa Endoret propiciamos la reparación de la superficie ocular afectada por la sequedad ocular. Se trata de un plasma rico en factores de crecimiento para el tratamiento de las lesiones de la superficie ocular elaborado a partir de la sangre del mismo paciente. Con esta formulación individualizada se consigue una tolerancia completa y una efectividad óptima. Esta opción terapéutica revolucionaria es muy eficaz en casos de defectos epiteliales persistentes o úlceras corneales. Asimismo se puede aplicar después de una cirugía refractiva corneal, una cirugía ocular o en el Síndrome de Sjögren.

Dr. José Nieto,

M.D.

Número de Col·legiat COMB: 38.579

Ophthalmologist. Specialist in Oculoplastic Surgery.

If you found this interesting, feel free to share it here:

Last modified: 19/08/2025
Scroll to Top

SCHEDULE

WE CALL YOU

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.