What are they?
Ectropion (eyelid turned outward) and entropion (eyelid turned inward) are eyelid disorders caused primarily by aging, which weakens the muscles and tissues.
Ectropion (eyelid turned outward)
Causes
- Aging (tissue weakness), facial paralysis, scarring, tumors, or the result of previous surgeries.
Symptoms
- Drooping lower eyelid, dry eye, excessive tearing (epiphora), redness, conjunctivitis, irritation due to exposure.
How do we treat them?
- Drooping lower eyelid, dry eye, excessive tearing (epiphora), redness, conjunctivitis, irritation due to exposure.
Entropion (eyelid turned inward)
Causes
- Aging, muscle spasms, internal scarring (from infections, burns).
Symptoms
- Eyelashes rubbing against the cornea, pain, a sensation of having something in the eye, redness, sensitivity to light, blurred vision.
How do we treat it?
Entropion (inward-turning eyelid) may be treated—at the ophthalmologist’s discretion—temporarily with lubricants, botulinum toxin (neuromodulators) for spastic entropion, or adhesive strips; or, definitively, through eyelid repositioning surgery to prevent the eyelid margin from turning inward.
