+65 6250 7377
+65 6250 7477
HomeAll Services...Adult Ptosis Surgery
Adult Ptosis Surgery

Ptosis Surgery in Singapore

Diagnose & Correct Ptosis: Treat Droopy Eyelids Effectively

Table of Contents
Book A Medical Consultation

What is Ptosis?

Ptosis is a medical term that refers simply to a “droop”. “Ptosis” is often used interchangeably with the proper medical term “blepharoptosis” which refers to a drooping upper eyelid.

Eyebrows can droop too. But the term “brow ptosis’ is used to distinguish between droop of the eyelid (“ptosis”) and droop of the eye brow (“brow ptosis”).

Ptosis can be measured by assessing the distance between the light reflex in the centre of the eye and upper eyelid. If the distance between the light reflex and upper eyelid is lower than 2mm, it can be considered ptosis. A normal upper eyelid margin tends to be 3 to 4mm from the centre of the pupil.

Examples of ptosis concerns prior to surgery 

 

What are the Causes of Ptosis?

There are two common types of ptosis conditions- Aponeurotic Ptosis (aging or surgery-related) or Congenital Ptosis (present from birth due to muscle issues). For other less common types of ptosis, please consult Dr. Looi for an accurate diagnosis.

Aponeurotic Ptosis

  • Common in older adults due to aging, frequent eye rubbing, or prolonged contact lens use.
  • Caused by:
    • Stretching of the levator palpebrae superioris (LPS) muscle.
    • Complete detachment of the LPS from the tarsal plate (the firm structure supporting eyelashes).

This condition can be effectively treated with ptosis correction surgery to restore a more natural, lifted appearance.

Congenital Ptosis

  • Present from birth, affecting one or both eyelids.
  • Caused by:
    • Improper development of the levator palpebrae superioris (LPS) muscle.

While surgical correction is available in Singapore, parents should be aware of potential trade-offs and undergo proper counseling before the procedure. In some cases, ptosis is linked to a winking motion (Marcus Gunn phenomenon), requiring careful surgical planning. Additionally, congenital ptosis can be part of blepharophimosis syndrome, which involves other eyelid abnormalities that must be addressed alongside the ptosis treatment.

Medical Consultation

How is Ptosis diagnosed?

A consultation with Dr Looi includes a physical exam and a review of your medical history to assess treatment options. Refer below for commonly asked questions during a medical consultation.

What is The Treatment for Ptosis?

Levator Palpebrae Superioris Repair

Levator Palpebrae Superioris Repair is droopy eyelid correction surgery performed most commonly to correct aponeurotic ptosis. It involves the re-attachment of the LPS to the tarsal plate with or without slight shortening of the LPS.

This surgery helps clear the superior visual field making it a functional surgery. However, laypersons in Singapore often mistake droopy eyelid correction surgery for cosmetic surgery as the elevation of the upper eyelid resting position also gives a pleasant appearance.

This droopy eyelid correction may also be employed in cosmetic surgery by surgeons when patients wish to lift the upper eyelids slightly, which further adds to the confusion.

Levator Resection

Levator Resection is employed in less severe cases of congenital ptosis to lift the upper eyelid. The LPS is significantly shortened to achieve the lift.

While this ptosis eye surgery achieves the lift in the upper eyelid, it comes with an inability to close the eye fully and a higher position of the operated lid in the downward gaze. Patients and their families must be well-informed of these trade-offs before proceeding with eyelid correction surgery.

Frontalis Suspension

The Frontalis Suspension surgery involves the use of a sling material (either from one’s own thigh tissue or silicone material) to connect the eyelid to the frontalis muscle above the brow so that the frontalis muscle can be used to elevate the eyelid.

This is employed in more severe cases of congenital ptosis and comes with the same trade-offs as levator resection.

Book A Medical Consultation

Diagnose & Correct Your Ptosis Condition

Ophthalmologist Doctor Profile

Dr Audrey Looi MBBS, MMed (Ophth), FRCS (Ed)

Dr A Looi is currently the Medical Director of Ava Eye Clinic.

Dr Audrey Looi trained in Oculoplastics at the Singapore National Eye Centre. She completed her fellowships in Oculoplastic, Orbital and Ocular Pathology at the University of British Columbia under the supervision of Prof Peter Dolman, Prof Jack Rootman and Prof Valerie White respectively, returning to Singapore in 2004 with a Best Fellow research prize.

She served as Head of the Oculoplastic Service as well as Clinical Director of the General Eye Clinic at the Singapore National Eye Centre from 2007 to 2016 and 2009 to 2019 respectively. She was appointed Adjunct Associate Professor at the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School from 2012 to 2019. Dr Looi is currently Prsident of the Singapore Society of Ophthalmic and Plastic Reconstructive Surgery.

Make A Medical Appointment Today

Call Us
Whatsapp Us
Book An Appointment

Common Q&A To Be Covered During Medical Consultation

medical-diagnosis

Medical diagnosis of ptosis condition

ptosis-surgery

Before and after pictures of ptosis surgery

procedure-pathway

Detailed procedure pathway

detailed-costs

Detailed breakdown of the cost of ptosis surgery

medical-coverage

Whether patient’s ptosis condition qualifies under Medisave/medical insurance coverage (if applicable)

Post-Surgery-Care

Post-surgery care

What qualifications or training does an Eye Doctor need for Ptosis Correction Surgery?

Not all eye doctors or ophthalmologists are qualified to perform oculoplastic surgery. Only eye doctors who have trained specifically in the sub-speciality area of Oculoplastic Surgery are qualified and able to perform good ptosis ptosis correction surgery.

Ptosis correction surgery is considered challenging as, anatomically, the structures in the eyelid may show varying degrees of degenerative or wear and tear changes and because patient recovery may vary significantly. Various surgical techniques have been developed, and an ideal outcome can never be guaranteed.

Choosing an experienced oculoplastic surgeon significantly increases the likelihood of a successful ptosis surgery result.

Is Ptosis Surgery Medisave or Medical Insurance claimable?

Ptosis surgery can be claimed under medical insurance if the degree of droop is severe enough to meet the criteria set by our Ministry of Health. A trained Oculoplastic Surgeon will be able to assist you in seeing whether you meet those criteria. Visual field tests are involved in this assessment.

If you do not meet the criteria, any droopy eyelid correction surgery done in Singapore would be considered cosmetic with out-of-pocket costs.

What are the Risks and Complications of Ptosis Surgery?

● General surgical risks (e.g., infection, prolonged bruising, prominent wound healing) are rare and typically not a major concern.

● Patients must be explicitly informed about the potential for:
○ Under-correction
○ Over-correction
○ Asymmetry
○ Irregularity in lid contour

● Surgery is done while awake to help reduce these issues, but they may still occur.
● Adjustment procedure may be needed after one week to address any issues, though they may persist.
● Revision surgery may be required a few months later if the problem continues.

Other FAQs

I understand from some friends that my eyes may not close fully after ptosis surgery. Is this true?

Incomplete closure of the eyes is sometimes seen after ptosis correction surgery, particularly in the first few weeks to a few months. However, as swelling subsides, and the orbicularis muscle (the muscle that helps the eye to close) regains strength, eyelid closure typically improves and usually becomes complete within a few weeks.

Dr Looi will help advise on how to take care of your eyes during this time.

I heard that Ptosis Surgery can be painful. It this correct?

To ensure the lowest chance of needing an adjustment procedure, it is best for your surgeon to assess the extent of lift during the surgery. In order to do this, you have to be awake during the surgery.

Hence, only light sedation is employed in ptosis surgery. Deeper sedation is only provided in the early part of the surgery so that you do not feel the pain of the local anaesthetic injections. Following that, you may feel the odd spot of discomfort as pressure sensations around the eyes are intact. Should this occur, do let your surgeon know.

Your surgeon can consider topping up on the local anaesthetic or deeping the sedation appropriately. However, she will have to balance between pain relief and your ability to open your eyes during the surgery. To a certain extent, some discomfort may be experienced during the surgery but for the vast majority, this is very bearable.

Many patients have often expressed how delighted they were that the surgical process was a lot smoother than they had expected. Pre-op counselling is therefore crucial in preparing patients psychologically for a surgical journey.

Can I wear contact lenses after my Ptosis surgery?

As contact lens wear can pose a risk to re-drooping of the eyelid, it is not advisable to continue contact lens wear after ptosis repair. If one does not wish to wear spectacles, one can consider refractive surgery or LASIK first prior to ptosis repair surgery. In the older patient who has already developed cataracts, it may be prudent to have the cataract surgeries performed first as any eye surgery that requires the eyelids to be kept apart by eyelid retractors pose a risk of eyelid droop. Dr Looi will assess the patient’s eyelid and eye condition and provide the most appropriate advice regarding timing of surgeries.

How much does Ptosis Correction Surgery cost?

The type of ptosis surgery employed depends largely on what needs to be addressed in each patient.

Where more work is required (ie. more complex and longer surgery) or where previous surgery or surgeries have been performed, the ptosis surgery cost will be higher to reflect the level of difficulty and the time needed to address the problem.

Nevertheless, at Ava Eye Clinic, we aim to keep ptosis repair surgery costs at reasonable and manageable levels.

Where the extent of ptosis meets the criteria for medical cases, eligible patients can look forward to claiming the full amount from their medical insurance and/or Medisave.