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Functional Eyelid Surgery

Ptosis repair.

When the upper lid sits low enough to shade the eye, it isn't cosmetic — it's mechanical. Ptosis repair lifts the lid back to the iris, reopening both the eye and the top of your vision.

Procedure time
30–60 min
Anesthesia
Local / awake
Back to work
5–7 days
Pairs with
Blepharoplasty

Drooping isn't the same as hooding

Ptosis is a weakness of the muscle that holds the upper lid up — the levator. It's different from the loose skin of blepharoplasty, and the two are often confused. Telling them apart is the whole game, because lifting skin on a lid that's actually drooping only hides the problem.

Ptosis can be present from birth, follow years of contact-lens wear, arrive with age, or signal something neurologic. As an ophthalmologist first, Dr. Ahn evaluates the cause before recommending the fix.

You may be a good candidate if…

  • One or both upper lids cover part of the colored iris
  • You lift your brows or tilt your head back to see
  • Your eyes look asymmetric or "sleepy" in photographs
  • Your field of vision feels narrowed at the top

The technique, in plain terms

Most ptosis is corrected by tightening the levator muscle through a hidden upper-lid crease incision, or — for milder cases — from inside the lid with no external incision at all. Because it's done awake, Dr. Ahn can ask you to open your eyes during surgery to set lid height precisely and symmetrically.

Recovery

What the
week looks like.

Quick by surgical standards. Lid height fine-tunes over the first weeks as swelling resolves.

Days 1–3
Ice & elevate

Mild swelling and bruising. The lid may look slightly high at first — expected.

Day 7
Sutures out

Most return to work; the new symmetry begins to show as swelling settles.

Weeks 2–6
Height settles

Final lid position declares itself. Small in-office adjustments are rare but possible.

Month 3
Final result

Open, even, and rested. We confirm symmetry together at follow-up.

Questions

Honest answers.

Is ptosis repair cosmetic or functional?
It can be either. Cosmetic refinement of a slightly low or asymmetric lid is done here at Awaken as a self-pay procedure. If a drooping lid is genuinely blocking your field of vision, that's a functional/medical case Dr. Ahn handles through his separate medical practice, San Pedro Eye Care.
Will both eyes match afterward?
Symmetry is the goal and the reason we operate awake — Dr. Ahn sets and checks height with you opening your eyes on the table. Minor asymmetry can occur and is correctable if needed.
Can ptosis repair and blepharoplasty be combined?
Often they should be. Drooping muscle and excess skin commonly coexist; addressing both in one sitting gives the most natural, balanced result.
Could the droop come back?
Results are durable for most patients. Some conditions can progress slowly over years; if so, a touch-up is straightforward.

Next step

Find out what's
actually causing it.

A consultation includes a full eyelid and vision assessment — the only way to know whether you need a lift, a skin removal, or both.

Request a consultation (310) 791-2233

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