Drooping Eyelids

About the Symptom

Ptosis is drooping of the upper eyelid. This may block vision. It can be caused by weak eyelid muscles or by eyelid swelling.

When to See a Doctor

Seek professional care if you experience any of the following symptoms

• Blurring of vision
• double vision
• Recent weight loss
• Impossible to walk normally
• Fever
• Slurred speech
• Unilateral blindness
• Dysphagia
• Disorder of consciousness
• Abnormal sensation (tingling, prickling)
• Involuntary movements
• History of cerebrovascular disorder
• Eye movement disorder
• Easy fatiguability
• Headache
• Altered mental status (delirium)
• Muscle weakness in the limbs
• Eye pain
• Photophobia
• Visual field defect
• Numbness / sensory disorder

Possible Causes

Generally, Drooping eyelids can be related to:

• Tolosa Hunt Syndrome

  Tolosa-Hunt Syndrome is a rare condition characterized by severe headaches behind the eyes, decreased and painful eye movements typically in just one eye. The exact cause is unknown, but it may be related to inflammation in certain areas behind the eye.

• Myasthenia Gravis

  Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a condition characterized by the immune system producing abnormal antibodies that block muscles from receiving nerve signals. This results in muscle weakness and easy fatigue, as well as double vision, drooping eyelids, facial weakness or hoarseness.

• Lambert-Eaton Syndrome

  Lambert-Eaton syndrome is a condition where a person's immune system attacks the connections between the nerves and the muscles. This usually causes muscle weakness and fatigue. This condition is most often seen in people with small cell lung cancer, those with immune system problems, or rarely other types of cancer such as lymphoma.

• Unruptured Cerebral Aneurysm
• Cluster Headache
• Muscular Dystrophy
• Mediastinal Tumor

Related Serious Diseases

Sometimes, Drooping eyelids may be related to these serious diseases:

• Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS)

  Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is a rare nerve disorder where a person's own immune system attacks their nerves. GBS can cause symptoms ranging from mild (arm/leg numbness or weakness) to severe and life-threatening (inability to breathe, abnormal heart rhythm, very high/low blood pressure). The prognosis is generally good. Over half of people fully recover and 80% can walk independently at 1 year. However, a minority of people may have permanent nerve damage or need a ventilator to breathe, and the overall death rate ranges from 3% to 7%.

• Cerebral Infarction

Doctor's Diagnostic Questions

Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this symptom:

• Have you been experiencing drooping of your eyelids?
• When did you first notice the drooping eyelids?
• How often do you experience drooping eyelids?
• How are your drooping eyelids now?
• Which of the following best describes how your drooping eyelids appeared?

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