What is ptosis correction?

When the muscle that lifts the eyelid is weak, the eyelid covers the pupil, so you look sleepy or have to raise your forehead to open your eyes. When this is severe, it is called ptosis.

Ptosis correction adjusts the strength of this muscle to set the height of the eyelid. It is done both as treatment, to correct ptosis that blocks vision, and for cosmetic reasons, to make the eyes look more open.

• Incisional: the skin is cut and the muscle is tightened and fixed directly. Sagging skin can be tidied at the same time.
• Non-incisional: thread is passed through small openings to tie the muscle. Swelling tends to be milder, but there is a limit to how much can be corrected.

Which method fits depends on the strength of the muscle, how much the skin sags and how large you want the eyes to look.

As with double eyelid surgery, there is swelling and bruising, and recovery takes longer with the incisional method. At first the eyes may not close fully or may look uneven in height, but this often evens out as the swelling goes down.

• A difference in height between the two sides may remain.
• Raising the eyelid too much can make the eyes look startled or hard to close, while raising it too little has less effect.
• In these cases a second correction is discussed, so it helps to share photos of the look you want before surgery.