What You Need to Know
Entropion is a condition in which your eyelid (usually the lower one) turns inward so that your eyelashes and even the skin of your eyelid rubs against your eyeball.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
Entropion is a condition in which your eyelid (usually the lower one) turns inward so that your eyelashes and the skin of your eyelid rubs against your eyeball. If your eyelashes and skin are rubbing against the sensitive surface of your eyeball, it’s not surprising that you would experience symptoms such as eye discomfort and irritation, feeling like something is in your eye, mucus discharge, sensitivity to light and to wind and decreased vision.
WHO IS AT RISK?
Patients who have entropion either have their eyelid turned in all the time or it turns in only when they blink or squeeze their eyes shut. Entropion usually affects only the lower lid and is much more common in older adults.
As you age, the muscles under the eye start to weaken, allowing the eyelid to turn in. Entropion can also be caused by eye infection and inflammation. This often causes the patient to rub the eye repeatedly or squeezing the lids shut tightly, causing spasm of the muscles of the eyelid and rolling in of the lower lid.
How Is Entropion Treated?
Entropion is diagnosed by your eye physician on physical exam of the eye and surrounding tissues. Entropion can be treated symptomatically with lubricating ointment and artificial tears, but surgery is usually indicated to correct the condition. Left untreated, damage to the cornea can occur and lead to eye infections and even loss of vision.
Surgical solutions depend on the cause of your entropion and the condition of the eyelid and tissues surrounding the eye. If it’s age related, our eye physician and surgeon Dr. Hatch can correct this by removing a small part of your lower eyelid which tightens the tendons and ligaments in the process.
After surgery for entropion, your eyelid may feel tight. This tightness will lessen over time. Dr. Hatch will be happy to discuss treatment options with you.