Thread: droopy eyelid?

Over the past year or so, I've noticed that my right eyelid droops more than my left, much like Paris Hilton's.

At first I thought it was a simple muscle tone problem, because the left side of my face is more coordinated, for example, I can raise my left eyebrow a small bit by itself (not much), and can snarl the left side of my nose/cheek alone. The right side only can do these thing with the left, not alone. I've done some facial exercises for the brow region, using my hands to create some resistance on the right side, but it doesn't seem to be helping.

Anyway, the bigger I'm smiling, the more pronounced it is. I was trying to take a current snapshot for my facebook profile a few days ago (and I'm not photogenic under the best of circumstances), and at least half of the pics looked something like this (really, I'm not trying to wink here):
photo(2).jpg

Does anyone know what I can do about this? Can anything be done about it?

It sounds like something's going on with your right facial motor nerve (the 7th cranial nerve). The eyelid is most especially sensitive to any disruption of the 7th nerve. There could be various causes. If you haven't had this all your life and it seems to be progressing, you should see a neurologist for a diagnostic work-up.

In case you're wondering why I would possess this arcane knowledge, I had to have surgery years ago to remove a tumor and this caused 7th nerve damage leading to paralysis of half my face. I had very good recovery in time, though to this day when I smile, my eyelid still does the same thing yours does. And please don't let that scare the heck out of you. As I said, there are VARIOUS potential causes of facial nerve trouble, some serious and some not so serious. But if it is anything important, the earlier you find out what's up and get on with dealing with it, the better. And if not, you can be reassured and also get some advice.

Rosette

My hair stylist had a similar problem, except the whole right side of her face used to droop a bit. She recently had sinus surgery and the doctor said that the surgery should help the problem. It has seemed to work. I can't remember if there was scar tissue in the sinus cavity pressing on some nerves or how exactly the sinus issues came into play but I found that quite interesting. Have you been to your doctor about this?

Looking at some photos a few years old, I can still see that my left eye is always wider than my right. So even though it has been bothering me a relatively short time, it seems to be something that has been going on a while.

My eyelids are very heavy, a familial trait I have had all my life, and they are getting a little droopy. I suspect this is a combination of the heavy lids, aging and long-term muscular habits (raising my left eyebrow). I just wish there was a non-surgical way to mitigate it.

I used to work quite a bit on trying to improve my ability to raise one eyebrow. It seems too coincidental that the eyebrow that raises by itself is the same side as the lifted, open eye.

Ophthalmologists use the term "ptosis" to refer to droopy eyelids. Maybe some googling on that term will turn up something helpful.

My eyelids were so droopy when I was 18 that there was no crease. I had surgery on both to correct that and build a crease. The ptosis was really quite frustrating - I was in college at the time, and people used to assume I was a heavy user of marijuana because my eyelids were so droopy. Since I didn't use marijuana at all, that assumption was quite annoying! At least the assumptions stopped after I had the surgery!

Have you tried eye exercises?

Yes my right eyelid droops but I put it down to the fact I am 64 and everything is going south. Now added to it , it's swollen thanks to the high pollen levels

I wouldn't even want to speculate on what is causing this. The possibilities range from boring (maybe your face has always been this asymmetric, but it wasn't noticeable until you got older) to all kinds of horrifying medical diagnoses, and million things in between. I'd suggest running the question past your GP and let him/her refer you to the next step. If it isn't a serious neurological or ophthalmological issue, there may be cosmetic fixes (a bit of botox to tighten up the softer side, or perhaps a more invasive procedure like an eye lift), but that's a call for a doctor to make. Whatever you decide, don't let anyone come at your face with a needle or a knife if you aren't sure they're a competent physician. You've only got one face and it's not worth skimping on anything less than an expert for whatever treatment you need. If you end up going to a plastic surgeon, I'd recommend looking for one who is board certified to do facial reconstructive work, not just some garden-variety doc who does a lot of liposuction and boob jobs.

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

Whatever you decide, don't let anyone come at your face with a needle or a knife if you aren't sure they're a competent physician. You've only got one face and it's not worth skimping on anything less than an expert for whatever treatment you need. If you end up going to a plastic surgeon, I'd recommend looking for one who is board certified to do facial reconstructive work, not just some garden-variety doc who does a lot of liposuction and boob jobs.

I agree with this advice. My surgery to correct my ptosis was done by the local medical school's ophthalmology department's expert in this particular condition. It was pretty funny, I was "presented" before and after to a room full of other ophthalmologists and interns/residents, with a lecture on the procedure, etc.

Botox. I have the same exact problem. Find a reputable provider and tell them you want a Botox eyebrow lift when you make the appointment. If they do not know what it is, find another provider that does know. If they inject the incorrect areas, they will worsen your drooping eyebrow.

I have the same thing going on -- my right eye lid droops much more, and I can't raise only my right eyebrow (but left works fine)! I've suspected two things: first, I notice I always sleep on this side of my face. No matter how hard I try to go to sleep in a different position, I wake up on my belly with the right side of my face all smashed against my pillow. :P Second, this is the side on which I got the top part of my ear pierced when I was a teenager. I was once warned that piercing the upper part of the ear can cause nerve damage that affects the face. I've only started noticing the visible effects in the last few years, but I don't recall when exactly I noticed that I couldn't raise only my right brow...

I haven't mentioned it to my GP because I assumed it was age/sleeping habits. I don't know of either of those two issues apply to you, but you are not alone in your assymetry. ;)

oh, btw, I've had two CT scans of my head recently; pretty sure in my case at least it's Not A Tumor (*uses best Arnie voice*).

You write in this post that the drooping eye on the right side is caused by the sleeping. Can you noticed that so you have to sleep on other side and measure the difference of droopy eye. You say that nerve makes effect on this so that is true. But you can try other best treatment for drooping eyelids solution to cure for the problem.

reported

Hello!
Oh...This is a common problem ...
I've just found the article about Ridding of Sagging Eyelids without Plastic Surgery...It may be useful for you
Good luck!

My Mom just had a wee tuck done (several stitches and a black eye for a week) and she looks fine. Her insurance covered it when she complained of obstructed field of vision.