Will Ptosis Treatment Correct Droopy Eyelids?

Drooping eyelids (ptosis), can sometimes fall low enough to obstruct vision, causing patients to compensate by arching their eyebrows using their forehead muscles. Many patients at Ticho Eye Associates choose ptosis correction to address the issue and restore lost vision. This procedure is often covered by a patient’s health insurance.  Those with a slight ptosis may not have any blocked vision but can have a tired-looking appearance.  To learn more about how to improve ptosis with Ptosis treatment, call our Chicago Ridge, IL, Tinley Park, IL, or Munster, IN office to schedule a consultation with Dr. Benjamin Ticho or Dr. Laura Sanders.

What is ptosis?

Ptosis is a pathologic droopy eyelid caused by medical disorders, age, or trauma. Unilateral ptosis refers to one eye, while bilateral ptosis affects both eyes. While it may come and go or for some patients, it is permanent. Some patients experience it at birth, known as congenital ptosis, and others develop it later in life (acquired ptosis). Drs. Ticho and Sanders specialize in helping patients of all ages to successfully treat their ptosis in Chicago Ridge, IL, Tinley Park, IL, and Munster, IN.

What causes ptosis?

The most common cause of ptosis is age-related drooping skin, but there may be other reasons why one or both eyelids start to droop. They include:

• A malpositioned or maldeveloped levator muscle

• Defective nerve to the levator muscle

• Defective innervation to the orbicularis muscle, also known as Bell’s palsy (cranial nerve VII palsy)

• Defective innervation to the Muller’s eyelid muscle or Horner syndrome

• Neurogenic ptosis, which is associated with patients with myasthenia gravis or multiple sclerosis

• Traumatic ptosis

• Mechanical ptosis, which develops because of excessive contact lens use, an eyelid tumor, or a large chalazia

• Involutional ptosis, which is caused by aging and the weakening of the levator tendon

Regardless of the reason for the droopy eyelids, Drs. Ticho and Sanders can make a professional recommendation for which treatment will resolve the issue best at Ticho Eye Associates.

Ptosis treatments

Drs. Ticho and Sanders use many different safe and effective surgical approaches to ptosis treatment. The treatment chosen depends on the cause of your ptosis. Treatments that we offer at Ticho Eye Associates include:

• Levator muscle tightening: This is known as the external approach and is the most common treatment, which shortens and repositions the main eyelid lifting muscle with an eyelid crease incision.

• Muller’s muscle tightening: With the internal approach, the lid is flipped inside-out and the Muller’s muscle is tightened from behind the eyelid.

• Fasanella-Servat procedure: This uses a flipped or everted approach to shorten the eyelid by removing multiple layers rather than just repositioning them.

• Blepharoplasty: During an upper blepharoplasty, excess skin is removed from the eyelid crease and all surgical scarring is hidden when the eyes are open. If the sagging upper eyelid skin impairs vision, it may be covered by insurance. Any excess fat is removed and the lax orbicularis eyelid muscle is repositioned and tightened. Lower blepharoplasty is performed on the inner surface of the eyelid, below your lower eyelashes. We also can use a combination of the two depending on your condition.

Our eyelid specialists at Ticho Eye Associates offer several treatments to safely address drooping eyelids while maintaining a natural-looking appearance.

Learn more about ptosis treatments

When a droopy eyelid is affecting your vision, schedule a consultation at Ticho Eye Associates to learn about ptosis treatments. Dr. Benjamin Ticho works diligently to help resolve a patient’s vision and appearance with a variety of laser eye treatments. To schedule an appointment, call our Chicago Ridge, IL, Tinley Park, IL, or Munster, IN, offices.