Have noticed my drooping eye is getting worse (pic)

[HeraInTheHereAndNow]

My right eye droops. Has always been slightly smaller (fine) and it’s an hereditary thing, my dad had it. His sisters had it. I’ve been doing Foreo Bear on it but... nothing. Am getting very conscious of it. Can anyone comment or suggest anything?

Thanks

A fringe can work wonders!

Ahh, I guess it could be a habit. Maybe, I ought to cultivate that habit on the right also! Raise the brow artificially as it were. I don’t feel the right brow muscles “work” that way though. It was really strange some time ago to meet two half sisters I didn’t realise I had. They both had my dad’s droopy eye. My own full sister doesn’t have it.

Will try the “pressure on both brows” tomorrow. Will see what happens.

If you haven't checked with your GP, you should, just to rule out anything significant.

It looks like Bells Palsy. You can have surgery to have the muscles pulled up if it doesn't get better on it's own. Some excellent plastic surgeons do it for free.

Just here to also recommend Botox. I had it done and it corrected my droopy eye. I chose a registered facial surgeon who knows his stuff - crucial to ensure you get the results you want.

Oh but also would be sensible as others have said to go GP just to ensure nothing else needs consideration from a medical pov

Just to say you’re beautiful OP, with or without a droopy eye!

Looks like maybe you have a ptosis OP? They tend to be hereditary, and be worse when tired. If it’s affecting your vision, I think you should be able to have it operated on under the NHS, and there are private options also.

I don't think I'd notice unless you pointed it out; as you said, most faces are asymmetrical.

I have a round eye and rugby-shaped eye and slightly different shaped eye lids due to this. I use my hair to change the perspective (to one side) and think it's not so noticeable when I wear glasses. I have to be careful with eyeliner to wear differently on each eye as following the contours can make the difference far more noticeable.

Can you try new things that make you feel comfortable with your look? (Or just for fun!)

@Enough4me... that’s interesting which is why I mentioned a long “sitting on the brows” fringe.

@Tolleshunt... my mum had medical ptosis and had two nhs surgeries but, though it made a difference, she was 78 and her kids were so hooded, could barely see. The idea of waiting 20 yrs and feeling grim about it, doesn’t appeal.

@Namechangedforthisoct2... you’re kind. I must say that it is a dour and “tired” pic so, when I smile, it’s less noticeable as a smile lift everything 😊 However, I can’t go about smiling all the time. Perhaps it’s my natural resting bitch face.

@SunshineYello... I will definitely look at the Botox when all of this Covid and restrictions are done with. My dentist does botox but I’ll need to research the reviews etc. Don’t want to look worse! Also, I guess they’d just do the right side to even things up.

I tried the pressure test and no, it doesn’t make any difference. I think my left eye (the one with the wrinkles above) is just “up”; it’s how my face sits. That’s why at my age, I’ve more wrinkles in the left. I don’t do the Foreo over the left because I’m trying to even them up though the left could do with smoothing. If Foreo doesn’t give an lift to that right eye, I may as well use it in the left as well, to smooth the wrinkles.

@Tolleshunt... her LIDS. Not kids, were hooded! 😂

And... back on camouflage, I think losing 6 inches of hair might lift things up a bit. My hair has really grown in lockdown and have had no colour on it so, it’s a bit “flat” and might be better framing my face more than just long and straight.

Gosh, is that how long the NHS would leave it for until they operated? I can believe it, sadly, they really don’t seem to factor in the huge psychological impact of things they deem ‘cosmetic’ - as if the appearance of one’s face is of no matter

Have you posted a number of times before..?
I think you are raising your eyebrow, as others have said.

I appreciate Style and Beauty may not be the place for this but please check this with your doctor, a drooping eye can be the first sign of Myesthenia. It is pretty rare but worth checking out as it can be very serious.

My relative has been living with it for years and it has never progressed from her eye. She has treatment to minimise the droop. It took a while to get diagnosed as the first doctor didn't recognise it. Her current doctor often asks her to speak to student doctors because it is rare and something many don't see in practice.

I'm a GP. I agree with everyone saying see your GP as a precaution but, if your mother also has ptosis, it's likely that this is hereditary, and not a sign of a bigger problem like myasthenia.

Ptosis can be corrected by surgery and you don't need to wait till the same age as your mother was before having it, but be aware that the backlog created by Covid means the waiting list is likely to be several years. In the meantime, see your GP to rule out other issues.

@Tolleshunt

Gosh, is that how long the NHS would leave it for until they operated? I can believe it, sadly, they really don’t seem to factor in the huge psychological impact of things they deem ‘cosmetic’ - as if the appearance of one’s face is of no matter

Yeah, we all fucking love telling people they can't have surgery for distressing conditions and do it just for the bants.

You are definitely raising your eyebrow in the first pic. In the second pic both your eyes look very similar to your right eye in the first pic, and your left eye is more open and the brow more raised.

This is something that can be corrected with surgery. And it is sometimes done on the NHS however I am not sure of the criteria. There are 'cosmetic' surgeries done on the NHS, however obviously when theatre time and bed space are limited these are the first to be stopped as obviously other surgeries are more life saving, or get patients out of pain. If you've got the option of removing a cancer or a brow lift you will remove the cancer.

You could also have a non surgical brow lift with botox. This is often not too expensive and might be worth looking into as it will be quicker than on the nhs. Or obviously you could seek surgery privately, it is not a long procedure and again may not be too expensive.

@Tolleshunt... I don’t imagine the NHS would do me. I think I’d have to go private. It’s not urgent and there are better things to do with NHS resources. I get that completely.

@DishRanAwayWithTheSpoon... the short hair pic was 8 yrs ago, taken for my 50th. My rt eye IS smaller. Always has been. The droop has come with age and I’m conscious of the effect of the two combined. I’m definitely going to check out the botox after Covid.

@Janegrey333.. why?

Yeah, we all fucking love telling people they can't have surgery for distressing conditions and do it just for the bants.

I’m sorry if I touched a nerve, MissLucy. To clarify, I was not talking about frontline medical staff here, rather the focus of the bodies that allocate budgets, and the fact that the NHS is underfunded to the point that medical issues that cause distress are not remedied.

And yes, it is a fact that the NHS is not geared up to take into account the psychological impact of physical problems. Many, many people are left suffering pain for a long time, limiting their life and causing depression, when operating sooner would prevent all that. People with disfiguring conditions are told the NHS won’t operate because it’s a cosmetic issue, people’s teeth aren’t properly restored ditto. These things do have a profound psychological and emotional impact that can then cause detriment across the patient’s life. This is a policy and budget decision.

I’m no way do I think healthcare staff are denying patients proper care because they personally like the ‘bants’, no. I do think many in the NHS are hampered by an underfunding and a lack of vision though, and I would like to see it as a body do better in these areas. It would take more £ tho. And of course it’s light years away when we’re in a position where people with cancer aren’t treated in time because of lack of resources, and pensioners with cataracts are told only one eye can be treated

OP sorry for the derail, I’ll stop now.

It is possible that CACI facials might help. They are electro current facials, they do one which is just the eye area. Originally developed to help stroke victims before being used in the beauty industry.

@HeraInTheHereAndNow Just wondering if you had any success? I have exactly the same thing, I thought my right eye was drooping until I read this thread and realised it is actually my left eye raising. I can't control it or relax it though.

I was wondering if botoxing the left forehead would help?

Botox paralyses muscles rather that relaxes them. I have it to lift my naturally flat eyebrows and give them a natural looking arch. This has the knock on effect of lifting my eyelids and making me look brighter and more awake. I also have a little around the edge of my eyes to soften the crows feet and lift my droopy eyes.

My last treatment was September 2020 and I'm starting to look very droopy again. I can't wait for the clinic to reopen.

Thank you so much, that makes sense!

I'm a bit short on time so haven't read all of the replies so sorry if I'm reapeating.

I have had this. It's almost evened out now but not quite.

Do a bit of googling on 'brow compensation' and 'brow ptosis'. I think what you might have is brow compensation on the higher side. This is where you are subconsciously raising your brow in order to lift a hooded eyelid. Possibly there is also a brow ptosis, where the lower eye has dropped, causing you to lift the higher side even higher to compensate. I'm not a medical professional but the options as far as I know are to try Botox which could lift the lower brow and and drop the higher brow. The risk is that it could cause both brows to drop which would make them even but might make both eyes very hooded. It is, at least, temporary, so not the end of the world if it doesn't give the desired effect. Another option might be a blepharoplasty. This is the route I went down in the end but my eyes were much more hooded than yours. My surgeon said that the raised eyebrow often lowers back down once the excess skin no longer needs to be lifted. If they are still a bit uneven after 6 months or so he said he can even it out with a little botox.

I just want to stress that I have no medical training whatsoever. This is just my experience.