Ectropion/Entropion Surgery
What is an Ectropion?
Ectropion describes a condition where the lower eyelid appears to turn out and droop away from the eye. This condition is also known as rolling out of the lower lid and eyelid margin. It is usually not serious but can be uncomfortable and affect a person’s image and self confidence. There are types of artificial tears that can be used to relieve symptoms: foreign body sensation, and mucous discharge.
What is an Entropion?
An entropion is a condition involving the eyelid turning inwards and rubbing against the surface of the eye. It can also be called rolling in of the eyelids. As a result, you may feel uncomfortable and irritated, and your cornea may develop an ulcer.
Our Process
Some people opt to undergo ptosis repair surgery to correct the droopy eyelid issue. If you are considering ptosis surgery, we will assess your medical history and your currently ocular health before making a recommendation. It is essentially the process of lifting the eyelids to improve vision. The surgery is highly specialized and our surgeon has specialized training in addition to medical school and a residency in eye surgery and ophthalmology.
Symptoms of Ectropion
- Redness of the eyes
- Conjunctivitis
- Watery Eyes
- Irritation and Grittiness
- Soreness of the eye
- Reoccuring eye infections
- Sensitivity to light
- Corneal Ulcer
Causes of Ectropion
- Age: As you age, the eyelid muscles and tendons become weaker and loosen over time, this can cause Involutional Ectropion
- Eyelid Lump or Cyst: Sometimes if you get an eyelid lump/cyst, the weight of it can cause the eyelid to pull away from the eye, this can cause a Mechanical Ectropion
- Nerve Paralysis: A condition called Facial Nerve Pasly can result in weakness of the eyelid muscles and cause the eyelid to droop and cause Paralytic Ectropion.
- Skin Tightening/Shortening: When you get damage to the eyelid skin, such as a burn injury, sun damage, contact dermatitis and eye surgery, this can result in Cicatricial Ectropion, as the eyelid skin can shorten.
- Congenital: Congenital Ectropion is a rare case where present at birth.
Symptoms of Entropion
- Feeling like something is in your eye
- Eye redness
- Irritation of the eye
- Pain of the eye
- Sensitivity to light
- Excessive tearing
- Eye discharge
- Crusting of the eyelid
- Recurrent eye infections
- Reduced vision
Causes of Entropion
- Age: As you get older the muscles of the eye weaken and the skin becomes more stretched. Risk of Entropion increases.
- Scars and Previous Surgery: Changes such as these can cause a change in the normal curvature of the eye
- Infection: An infection known as trachoma is a common cause of entropion.
- Inflammation: Irritation of the eye through inflammation or dry eye syndrome can lead to a person rubbing their eyes often or squeezing them regularly which can cause entropion.
- Age:
It is important to seek immediate care for your entropion if you experience any of the following:
- Increasing redness of eyes
- Excessive tearing
- Pain in eyes
- Sensitivity of light
- Decreasing vision
These could be signs of damage to the eye from entropion and can harm your vision and require immediate treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a condition involving the eyelid turning inwards and rubbing against the surface of the eye.
It is a condition where the lower eyelid turns outwards away from the eye.
- Redness of eyes
- Conjunctivitis
- Watery Eyes
- Irritation
- Soreness of eye
- Corneal Ulcer
- Sensitivity to light
- Feeling of something in your eye
- Eye redness
- Eye irritation
- Eye pain
- Sensitivity to light
- Excessive tearing
- Eye discharge
- Reduced vision
Unfortunately, no operation is entirely without risk. However this surgery is common and people usually experience common side effects temporarily after surgery.