Inferior displacement of the lower eyelid during intraoperative quantification in blepharoptosis surgery

PURPOSE To examine inferior displacement of the lower eyelid during eye closing in intraoperative quantification of blepharoptosis surgery. METHODS A series of lower eyelid movements during eye closing in intraoperative quantification of blepharoptosis surgery were examined in 30 eyelids of 15 patients (6 males and 9 females; mean age 70.0 years; range 43-81 years) with bilateral aponeurotic blepharoptosis. RESULTS Inferior displacement of the lower eyelid was observed in all eyelids examined, although the extent varied in each patient (range 2.0-4.5 mm; mean 3.2 mm). Inferior displacement occurred with upward eye movement caused by Bell's phenomenon. Many wrinkles were simultaneously observed as a result of contraction of the orbicularis oculi muscle. After maintaining the inferiorly displaced state for several seconds, 20 lower eyelids in 10 patients naturally moved superiorly to a resting position. On the other hand, 10 lower eyelids in 5 patients remained in the same inferior position for more than 5 seconds, after which we had to manually elevate them to a resting position. The eyes then moved inferiorly to their resting position with a decrease in the number of lower eyelid wrinkles. Once the patients opened their eyes, inferior displacement of the lower eyelid completely disappeared. CONCLUSIONS Inferior displacement of the lower eyelid during eye closing increases the amount of lagophthalmos. This phenomenon needs to be considered for quantifying the intraoperative lagophthalmos level during blepharoptosis surgery.