Entropion Treatment

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Entropion Treatment

Question:

What is the treatment for entropion?

Answer:

Entropion is a rolling inward of the eyelids. The lower lids are more likely to be affected than the upper lids. Entropion may not be visible when the eyes are open or gently closed. However, if entropion is present, the inward rolling will become more obvious by tightly closing the eyes.

Entropion can be very annoying. In addition to the cosmetic factor, the turned-in eyelashes can rub against the surface of the eye. This can cause:

• Redness and discomfort

• Excessive tearing

• Blurry vision

Entropion usually occurs in elderly people, probably due to a relaxing of the tissues that hold the eyelid against the eye. In some cases, the condition is due to scarring of the inner tissues of the eyelid.

The treatment is always surgical. A variety of operations have been described to fix this problem. All are variations on one principle: They tighten the lid so that it flattens out.

You can see the effectiveness of this by pulling on the lid horizontally at the outer corner of the eyelid.

The surgery is not complicated. It is usually done in an outpatient setting. The success rate in improving the condition is extremely high.

Don Bienfang, M.D, is an assistant professor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School and the Senior Surgeon in the Department of Surgery and Chief of Neuro-Ophthalmology in the Department of Neurology at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Last updated:	July 20, 2009