Ptosis (eyelid) | EPFL Graph Search

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Ptosis, also known as blepharoptosis, is a drooping or falling of the upper eyelid. This condition is sometimes called "lazy eye," but that term normally refers to the condition amblyopia. If severe enough and left untreated, the drooping eyelid can cause other conditions, such as amblyopia or astigmatism, so it is especially important to treat the disorder in children before it can interfere with vision development. The term is from Greek πτῶσις 'fall, falling'. Signs and symptoms typically seen in this condition include: The eyelid(s) may appear to droop. Droopy eyelids can give the face a false appearance of being fatigued, uninterested or even sinister. The eyelid may not protect the eye as effectively, allowing it to dry. Sagging upper eyelids can partially block the field of view. Obstructed vision may necessitate tilting the head backward to speak. The areas around the eyes may become tired and achy. Eyebrows may be constantly lifted to see properly. Some of the risk factors for ptosis include: Eye tumor Diabetes History of stroke Cancer Neurological disorder Age; eye muscles weaken as they age, increasing the chance of the eyelids drooping. Ptosis occurs as the result of dysfunction of the muscles that raise the eyelid or their nerve supply (oculomotor nerve for levator palpebrae superioris and sympathetic nerves for superior tarsal muscle). It can affect one eye or both eyes and is more common in the elderly, as muscles in the eyelids may begin to deteriorate. Babies may also exhibit ptosis at birth as the result of abnormal development of the while the child is in the mother's womb. Congenital ptosis is hereditary in three main forms. Causes of congenital ptosis remain unknown. Ptosis may be caused by damage to the muscle that raises the eyelid, damage to the superior cervical sympathetic ganglion or damage to the oculomotor nerve, which controls the muscle. Such damage could be a sign of an underlying disease such as diabetes mellitus, a brain tumor, a pancoast tumor (apex of the lung) and diseases that cause weakness in muscles or nerve damage, such as myasthenia gravis or oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy.

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Extraocular muscles

The extraocular muscles, or extrinsic ocular muscles, are the seven extrinsic muscles of the human eye. Six of the extraocular muscles, the four recti muscles, and the superior and inferior oblique muscles, control movement of the eye and the other muscle, the levator palpebrae superioris, controls eyelid elevation. The actions of the six muscles responsible for eye movement depend on the position of the eye at the time of muscle contraction. Since only a small part of the eye called the fovea provides sharp vision, the eye must move to follow a target.

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