Curriculum · ENT, Ophthalmology, and Dermatology
Ptosis: causes and evaluation
What it is
Ptosis is drooping of the upper eyelid due to the levator palpebrae superioris.
Causes and risk
The aponeurotic cause is the most common: disinsertion or dehiscence of the levator aponeurosis, associated with advancing age, trauma, surgery, pregnancy and chronic lid swelling. The other causes are incomplete opening of the eyelid due to a mass or scarring; myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular palsy, and myotonic dystrophy; CN III palsy; Horner's syndrome; and congenital ptosis.