Your upper eyelids play an important role in keeping your eyes moist and healthy, and of course, when it comes to catching a few Zs, they’re indispensable. But if your eyelids are drooping, they can wind up causing problems — sometimes even interfering with normal vision.
With offices in Salt Lake City, Murray, Draper, Tooele, and West Jordan, Utah, ENT Specialists offers state-of-the-art solutions for patients with droopy lids, correcting vision issues they cause, and improving the way your eyes look. Here’s what our team wants you to know about eyelid correction with blepharoplasty — a procedure more than 325,000 women and men had performed in 2020..
The medical term for drooping, sagging eyelids is ptosis, and it can have a variety of causes. Some people are born with ptosis (called congenital ptosis), and kids can develop it as a result of a vision problem, like amblyopia, or if their facial muscles don’t develop properly.
Other times, damage to the nerves or muscles that controls the lid can cause drooping. Facial or eye tumors and even certain diseases can increase your risk of lid sagging.
Like a lot of facial changes, eyelid drooping can also be caused by aging. As we get older, our skin loses some of its natural elasticity, and muscles around our forehead and eyes tend to become weaker. Combined, these issues can cause your upper eyelids to sag and droop.
Drooping eyelids can instantly change your appearance, making you look tired and worn out all the time — even after a good night’s rest. In these instances, blepharoplasty can be a great solution for correcting sagging lids, restoring a more youthful, wakeful look to your eyes.
But blepharoplasty is also a good solution for more serious cases of ptosis, in which the upper lid drops so low that it interferes with vision. In an upper lid surgery, your doctor makes a tiny incision inside the crease of your eyelid, removing excess tissue and restoring your normal lid margin.
Blepharoplasty can also be performed on sagging lower lids. When lower lids droop, they expose more of your eye, which can lead to dry eyes and an increased risk of infection. Lower lid surgery repositions your lower lid and removes excess fat that can drag your lid downward.
Eyelid surgery is an outpatient procedure that typically takes 1-2 hours. Most surgeries use a local anesthetic to numb the area around your eyes, as well as sedative medications to keep you relaxed and comfortable.
After your surgery, the doctor applies ointment to help prevent infection and to keep the area moist in the very early stages of healing. You’ll receive instructions on how to clean your lids and whether eye drops are recommended.
You can expect some minor bruising and swelling, along with mild discomfort. Over-the-counter pain relievers and a cool compress can help. You should also keep your head elevated when you’re lying down, and you’ll need to limit activities during this early stage, as well.
You’ll also come to the office for a followup visit during your first week. If stitches were used, they can be removed at that time.
Your eyelids play a surprisingly big role in your appearance, and sometimes, in your vision. Whether you want to correct your sagging eyelids for cosmetic reasons or because they’re interfering with your sight, eyelid surgery can help. To find out more, book an appointment online or over the phone with the team at ENT Specialists today.
