{"id":8391,"date":"2019-07-31T15:52:50","date_gmt":"2019-07-31T15:52:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/?p=8391"},"modified":"2021-06-17T15:14:53","modified_gmt":"2021-06-17T15:14:53","slug":"14-things-that-cause-droopy-eyelid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/14-things-that-cause-droopy-eyelid\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Things That Cause Droopy Eyelid"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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There are a lot of things that can happen to the eye that can make it more difficult to live life to the fullest. One of the conditions that can happen is known as ptosis. This condition is also known as droopy eyelids. It is when one or both of your eyelids droop without being under your control. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What that means is that although you can still open and close your eyes successfully, you are not able to raise your eyelids to their fullest height which can restrict your vision and cause you all kinds of problems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are actually several different types of a droopy eyelid. One of them has to do with aging, while another happens because the nerves that control the eyelid become compromised. There is also genetic ptosis as well as what is called mechanical ptosis where is something other than an internal illness that is causing the eyelid to droop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s look at the top things that cause droopy eyelids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Trauma to the Muscles<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the first things that you will want to look at is whether there is trauma to the eye. There is a certain muscle <\/a>inside of each of your eyelids the control the up-and-down movement. However, if you experience trauma in the eye, and it includes trauma to that particular muscle, then you\u2019re going to have a harder time raising your eyelids. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are several ways in which you might have sustained trauma to those muscles. The most common way that this happens is that you are hit in the eye and the muscles are torn. This would make them have a difficult time raising the eyelid, and you would notice a significant amount of pain whenever you try. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good news is that this problem can usually be resolved by surgical means, and it may even heal on its own with enough time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Surgical Complications<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, droopy eyelids can because of surgical complications. There are lots of different surgeries out there, and many of them can get quite complicated. It is not unheard of for surgeons <\/a>to make mistakes. In fact, it is the exact reason why doctors are required to carry such heavy malpractice insurance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Facial surgeries even more complicated, and when you are doing facial surgery, it can be quite easy to damage that nerve or the muscles that raise the eyelids. When this happens, there is not much else that you can do except to try to get the problem fixed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Depending on exactly what happened and the severity of the problem, this may or may not happen. If you did have an eyelid damaged during surgery, then you definitely want to talk to an attorney and find out if he can get compensation; especially if there is no way to resolve the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. Botox Complications<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Botox <\/a>can be a really beneficial treatment in many cases; the problem is that Botox injections cause paralysis. When they are properly administered, they prevent lines are forming that can reduce signs of aging. This makes the face looks smoother and younger. But when the toxins injected, it does not always travel to the area where it is supposed to go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the common places where the Botox toxin travels to is the area of the eyelids, and the result is often droopy eyelids or ptosis. This happens if the Botox is injected into the forehead in order to get rid of forehead wrinkles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The chances of that are small, but it is still one of the common causes of droopy eyelids. In addition, it can be injected between the eyes which minimizes the vertical frown lines but also has a chance to get into the upper eyelid in order to paralyze the muscle that controls whether or not the eyelids go up or down and how far that up or down travels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Nerve Damage<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, ptosis <\/a>is caused by nerve damage. The honest truth is that there are nerves traveling throughout your body and multiple nerves throughout each body part. That includes your eyes and your eyelids. When those nerves are damaged, then you have to find a way to get around them because the nerve impulses are not getting to the brain and vice versa to tell the eyelid to move all the way up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The nerve that is controlling the eyelid muscles can become damaged anywhere along the path, and when that happens, the nerve impulses are going to have a really hard time getting from point A to point B. Nerve damages much rarer than other causes of droopy eyelids, but it does happen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If this is the cause of your ptosis, then someone may have to go in surgically and repair the nerve. There might be a few other options that your doctor has available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Congenital Ptosis<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Congenital ptosis means that the cause of your ptosis is genetics<\/a>. In other words, there is nothing you can do about it, you are simply born with the inability to lift your eyelids although it up. This may happen in one eye or may happen in both. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, even if the cause is congenital, there is still going to be some kind of underlying problem that can be resolved, whether that be damage to the muscle, nerve damage or some other issue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With congenital droopy eyelids, the problem is usually observed right away in childhood, which means that it may have been taken care of already by the time someone became an adult. If not, then it may be that the droopy eyelid has gotten worse over time and is just now getting to the point where you have to take care of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Idiopathic Causes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are also cases where the cause is idiopathic. That means that doctors have no idea what is causing the droopy eyelid. These are extremely rare because doctors can almost always identify where the problem is even if they are not able to resolve it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there do come along cases where the droopy eyelid happens and there is no nerve <\/a>damage that can be found and where the muscle tissue is healthy and working properly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are suffering from idiopathic ptosis, then you may simply have to live with droopy eyelids for the rest of your life. It is likely that the cause will be discovered eventually as medical science progresses, but for now, the limitations of modern medicine means that a cause cannot be determined, and without a cause, doctors have very little they can do to solve the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Eyelid Tumors or Cysts<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are also cases of mechanical ptosis, which means that the eyelid is droopy because of some weight added to it physically. This can happen with eyelid tumors <\/a>or cysts, or it could be thick folds of skin that are weighing down the eyelid and keeping it from being able to raise all the way. When this happens, pretty much the only solution that can be used is the surgical solution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tumor, cyst or loose skin must be removed so that the eyelid can raise. The muscles simply do not have enough juice to raise that eyelid when there is so much weight on it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there has to be a pretty significant amount of weight on the eyelid for this to happen because the muscle controlling eyelid movements are fairly strong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Neurological Conditions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are also certain neurological conditions that can affect whether or not an eyelid droops. For example, after a stroke, eyelids will often droop, and that can be caused by nerve damage or by something neurological<\/a>, meaning that it started in the brain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just about any of the types of ptosis out there can start in the brain including congenital ptosis. What basically happens is that the part of the brain that is supposed to fire and send them nerve impulse down to the eyelid to cause it open all the way either misfires or is a weak signal and that causes the eyelids only open part of the way which means that it droops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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9. LASIK <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many people with eye problems turn to LASIK therapy to help them restore their eyesight. These laser therapies are effective medical treatments making use of focused light to restore the normal function of the retina and cornea <\/a>in the eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LASIK therapy is so effective that people who used to rely on prescription lenses can see without any impairment after receiving the surgery. Even people who have had to deal with wearing eyeglasses for their entire lives, and are in their 50s, 60s, or 70s, can benefit from the use of LASIK therapy to restore their eyesight. The procedure is genuinely revolutionary, and there’s nothing like it available to restore people’s vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, while LASIK therapy is effective, it can also result in damage to the muscles and nerves around the eyelid in some situations. As a result, the patient may find that they develop symptoms of a droopy eyelid after the procedure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some cases, this droopy eyelid is temporary while the eye restores its normal muscular responses. In rare cases, the damage may be permanent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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10. Cataract Surgery<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Cataracts <\/a>describe a cloudy dense layer that forms in the area of the\u00a0lens of the eyes. A cataract starts when proteins in the eyeball form clumps, preventing the eye from sending visual images to the retina. The retina operates by converting light coming through the lens into optical signals. It transports the signals toward the optic nerve, which sends them into the brain, turning them into visual images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cataracts develop slowly over many years, and eventually, they start to interfere with the patient’s vision. This problem typically begins in people over the age of 60-years old. Statistics show that more than half the people in the United States over the age of 80-years old, have had cataract surgery, according to data published by the National Eye Institute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you think you have cataracts, then you may be experiencing blurry vision as well as trouble seeing at night. Patients receive surgery to remove the cataract, and this may damage or interfere with muscular signals in the eyeball, causing the onset of a droopy eyelid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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11. Pink Eye<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Pinkeye <\/a>describes a condition also known as conjunctivitis by the medical community. Pink eye can either occur due to a bacterial or viral infection, but the most common and most severe of the types involved is a bacterial infection. Children are at the highest risk of developing a pink eye infection, and they are usually responsible for spreading it through the adult community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A pink eye infection starts by producing symptoms of redness in the eyes well as mild irritation, which causes the child to rub their eyes frequently. The child’s parents may touch the child’s eyeball, and then unconsciously touch their face with the finger, resulting in infection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the disease progresses, the eye turns bright red and inflamed. As a result, the patient wakes up in the morning, experiencing crusting that may seal the eyelid shut. Severe cases of conjunctivitis are known to cause cases of a droopy eyelid after the infection heals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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12. Myasthenia Gravis<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Myasthenia gravis<\/a>, (MG), describes a neuromuscular disorder causing weakness in the muscles that control the skeletal system. The disease occurs when there is an impairment between the tissues and nerve cells involved in normal movement. As a result, the patient starts to develop muscular weakness in specific areas around the body and the face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most common areas affected by MG is the eyelids. As the condition starts to develop, one of the first places at shows up is in the eyes, and affected individuals may find that one of the eyelids begin to droop. As the condition spreads, the patient may notice that they start to develop feelings of weakness along the side of the face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, medical science does not have a cure for MG, and patients have to learn to live with the effects of the disorder. According to statistics from the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America, MG is a rare disease that only affects between 14 to 20 out of every 100,000 Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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13. Stroke<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A stroke <\/a>describes a severe medical condition where blood vessels in the brain start to rupture and bleed. A stroke may also occur when there is a blockage preventing adequate blood supply to the brain.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC), stroke is the fifth-leading cause of death in the United States. Each year more than 795,000-Americans suffer a stroke. When the brain does not receive sufficient amounts of oxygen, tissues, and brain cells start to experience damage and die shortly after that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not everyone that suffers a stroke will perish as a result of the condition. In some cases, strokes made leave patients with lameness or muscular disorders on one side of the body. Some people may lose all feeling in the left or right side of the body, while others may only experience mild strokes that affect muscles in the face. Mini-strokes may lead to the onset of a droopy eyelid in the affected individual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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14. Astigmatism <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Astigmatism <\/a>describes common vision problems experienced by millions of Americans. Patients with astigmatism experience changes in the shape of the cornea producing an irregular curve to the eyeball. Astigmatism may change the way light reflects or passes through the eyeball toward the retina. As a result, affected individuals may start to experience problems with their vision, causing fuzzy, blurry, or distorted images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Astigmatism may also cause nearsightedness or farsightedness in affected individuals. Fortunately, it’s possible to correct the issue of astigmatism using eyeglasses, and eye exercises, to return the eyeball to its standard shape. However, those individuals that do not receive treatment in time, they may start to experience the onset of changes in their vision that may end up being permanent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medical science is still at a loss to explain the exact cause of astigmatism. However, some medical professionals believe that astigmatism is a genetic condition passed down through the parents to their children. In some cases, astigmatism may lead to the formation of a droopy eyelid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n

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