The Effect of External Levator Resection in Blepharoptosis with Poor Levator Function

ABSTRACT

The postoperative complications of frontalis sling for severe blepharoptosis with poor levator function have included undercorrection, overcorrection, exposure keratitis due to lagophthalmos, lid lag. upper lid asymmetry etc, External levator resection with aponeurotic approach was performed for 77 blepharoptosis patients (106 eyelids) with poor levator function from October 1987 through April 1996 at the Department of Ophthalmology, Yeungnam University, College of Medicine. Unilateral blepharoptosis were 44 eyelids and bilateral cases included 62 eyelids. Levator function was measured 4nim in 23 eyelids, Slum in 22 eyelids and 0-2iBin in 61 eyelids, After the follow up periods of 12-108 months (mean 36.3 months) , satisfactory resuite have been achieved in 44 eyelids (100%) of unilateral ptosis and in 30 eyelids (90.9%) of bilateral ptosis. All eyelids with 4mm levator function was successful, 22 eyelids (86.4%) with 3mm levator function were satisfactory and 61 eyelids (95. 1%) with 0-2mm levator function revealed satisfactory result. Postoperative complications included entropion (4 cases) , undercorection (2 cases) , corneal opacity (I case) and corneal ulcer (1 case). Based on this study, external levator resection could were one of the ideal techniques for severe ptosis with poor to absent. levator function.