Happy Patient After External Ptosis Repair

EXTERNAL PTOSIS REPAIR (LEVATOR REPAIR)

This 60 year old patient came to me with a chief complaint of having drooping eyelids, worse at the end of the day, and affecting computer work.  While her primary complaints were not cosmetic, she was sensitive to the impact that surgical repair would have on her appearance, and this was an important component of our discussion.

On examination, she had ptosis of the upper lids.  Our examination determined that there was no underlying neurological cause for her lid droop.  While neurological causes of lid droop are uncommon,  it is nevertheless important to exclude them with a careful clinical evaluation.  After our discussion, we decided to correct her lid droop with an external ptosis repair (levator advancement) with blepharoplasty.  Due to the severity of the droop, this procedure was covered by her insurance.

The top image depicts her at her preoperative visit, and the lower image is from our two month postoperative visit (her last followup visit).   Her visual field was improved and her visual complaints were improved with this surgery.  She was also very happy with her postoperative appearance. 

Ptosis repair is a reconstructive procedure that can improve the visual field in many patients.  However, the cosmetic benefit cannot be understated, in that it creates a much more alert, brighter appearance for patients.

(Learn more about the difference between ptosis repair and blepharoplasty here.)