Eyelid Surgery

Ectropion

Ectropion is the most common lower eyelid malposition. It is often an ageing change resulting in eyelid laxity allowing the lid to sag away from the eye. Mild cases may not visibly turn away from the eye but can cause tearing, irritation, and/or dryness of the cornea. More severe cases will result in the eyelid truly turned away from the eye.

 

Symptoms may include excessive tearing, chronic irritation, redness, pain, a gritty feeling, crusting of the eyelid, mucous discharge, and in extreme cases breakdown of the cornea.

Entropion

Entropion is the term used to describe rolling inward of the eyelid. Once turned in, the eyelid and eyelashes rub against the eye, usually causing significant irritation, redness, and sensitivity to light and wind. If left untreated, chronic entropion can cause corneal scarring and loss of vision. If entropion exists, it is important to have it fixed before permanent damage to the eye occurs.

Dermatochalasis

Dermatochalasis is the medical term for excess skin of the upper eyelid. The excess skin can, at times, hang over the eyelid margin and thereby block the pupil. Patients often raise their eyebrows in an effort to raise the drooping excess skin. In severe cases, people may need to lift their eyelids with their fingers to see. While surgery to correct mild cases of dermatochalasis is considered cosmetic, cases where a patients visual field is restricted or when the excess skin is resting on the eyelashes is considered to be non-cosmetic by MBS criteria.

More new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed every year than the combined cases of breast, prostate, lung and colon cancer. The eyelid skin is the thinnest in the body and is often exposed to sunlight. As a result, it is often one of the first areas to show sign of aging and sun damage. Unfortunately sun damage, combined with genetics, can lead to skin cancers of the eyelids, including at the lid margin.

 

Skin cancer of the eyelids is relatively common and several types exist. They rarely cause symptoms such as pain, itching or bleeding, so any unusual nodule or lesion that is growing should be evaluated. Bleeding and/or ulceration (skin breakdown) are strong indications of possible cancer.