My Drooping Eyelids Are Affecting My Eyesight: Can You Help?

Some 11.5% of people experience eyelid drooping at some point. And for many, it’s more than a cosmetic concern. When your eyelids sag below an ideal place, they can limit your field of vision. And when you can’t see fully or comfortably, your quality of life can suffer, too. Thankfully, there’s a solution. 

At our offices in Scarsdale and the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York, board-certified oculofacial plastic surgeon Robert M. Schwarcz, MD, provides eyelid blepharoplasty to restore a more youthful look and reduce related complications such as affected eyesight.

What causes drooping eyelids

A range of factors can lead to or worsen eyelid drooping, which often involves weakness in the muscles that control your eyelids or nerves that aren’t functioning quite right.

Potential contributors to sagging eyelids include:

• Aging
• Eye surgery complications
• Injury to your eyelid 
• Poorly placed neurotoxin injections
• Over-stretching your eyelid ligaments or muscles

You can also experience a drop in your eyelids due to a medical condition, such as third nerve palsy, muscular dystrophy, Horner syndrome, or myasthenia gravis.

How blepharoplasty can help

Blepharoplasty, also known as an eyelid lift, is a surgical procedure that restores a healthier, more natural-looking appearance in your eyelids. The two types include:

• Upper eyelid blepharoplasty, which involves an incision in the crease of your upper eyelid to remove excess fat and skin and reshape surrounding muscle

• Lower eyelid blepharoplasty, in which an incision inside or on the outside of your lower eyelid allows for the removal of excess skin and fat

In both cases, Dr. Schwarcz takes special care to place the surgical cuts strategically to minimize any visible scarring. Recovery tends to take about 1-3 weeks, after which you can enjoy fuller vision.

To keep you comfortable as you heal, our team may recommend gently applying cold compresses, lubricating your eyes with a provided ointment, and taking approved over-the-counter pain medication, such as acetaminophen.

Ideal candidates for blepharoplasty

You may be a strong candidate for an eyelid lift surgery if you’ve noticed puffy eyelids, you have tired-looking eyes, or have experienced vision problems because of the droopiness. You should be at least 18 years old, in generally good health, and have realistic expectations of the surgery’s results. 

To learn more about treatment for drooping eyelids or to find out if blepharoplasty is right for you, call one of our offices to book an appointment with Dr. Schwarcz today. You can also request an appointment through this website using our online scheduling tool.