Laser Eye Surgery Forum

drooping of eyelid

Can laser eye surgery cause PTOSIS or drooping of the eyelid?

Is the droop permanent and can it be treated?

God bless.

The laser itself doesnt cause ptosis. However, any eye surgery that uses a speculum to keep the eye open can cause ptosis. This is due to the mechanical pressure from the metal weakening the fine tendon, coming from the muscle that lifts the eyelid, and connected to the eyelid itself. The ptosis may be temporary or permanent. It is rare in younger and middle aged people, and more common in the over 70s, e.g. when having cataract or IOL surgery. In my laser eye surgery practice, Focus, I have seen this once in around 10,000 procedures, so it is pretty rare. You would normally find a clause somewhere in all eye surgery consent forms talking about the risk of ptosis, albeit rare, as it is applies to almost all eye surgery ops.