Ptosis

Ptosis (drooping eyelid) is a condition in which the upper eyelid sags and the eye opening narrows, caused by weakness of the muscle that lifts the eyelid (the levator palpebrae superioris). Mild cases only make the eyes look sleepy, but if the drooping lid covers the pupil, vision can be blocked.

Ptosis is divided into congenital ptosis, present from birth, and acquired ptosis, which develops with age or after injury. Congenital ptosis is mostly due to abnormal development and weakness of the eyelid-lifting muscle, while acquired ptosis is caused by aging, injury, nerve damage, neuromuscular disease, and other factors.

Ptosis may be suspected if the eyes look small and always sleepy, or if the two eyes differ greatly in size and only one has a double eyelid. A normal upper eyelid covers about 1–2 mm of the top of the iris; if it covers more, ptosis may be present.

Ptosis is diagnosed by comparing eyelid heights and measuring the function of the eyelid-lifting muscle. With the eyebrows pressed and held, the distance the eyelid travels from looking fully down to fully up is measured; it is 14 mm or more normally and less with ptosis.

If a disease is the cause, that disease is treated first; ptosis due to aging or muscle problems is corrected surgically according to the degree of drooping and lifting-muscle function. Double eyelid surgery creates a crease and upper eyelid surgery addresses stretched skin, so they treat different problems from ptosis, in which the eye-opening force is weak.

Before deciding on a double eyelid method, Myongji Best Plastic Surgery Clinic in Myeongji-dong, Gangseo-gu, Busan checks skin thickness and drooping, fat volume, ptosis or levator function, and left-right asymmetry together. Because the buried suture method has limits with ptosis and reduced levator function, the incisional method, which adjusts soft tissue such as skin, fat, and muscle, can be applied to complex cases with ptosis.

Ptosis correction is not a perfect treatment that lets the eyelid move as freely as a normal eye. It may look natural when looking straight ahead, but when looking down the upper eyelid may not lower fully and the white of the eye may show, and if only one side is corrected, the two sides may look different.

Seek care right away if one eyelid suddenly droops or closes, or if double vision or pain comes with it. This kind of drooping can signal a condition such as nerve damage, myasthenia gravis, or stroke, so diagnosing the cause comes before a cosmetic consultation.

Also see a doctor to check the cause and degree when drooping blocks your vision or disrupts daily life, or when a child's eyelid looks droopy. If the eye does not close after correction and causes pain or blurred vision, contact the clinic that performed the surgery right away.

Myongji Best Plastic Surgery Clinic's published non-covered fee list shows surgical items including buried suture KRW 1.1 million, eye-shape correction add-on KRW 400,000, and upper blepharoplasty KRW 1.5 million (checked October 20, 2026). A separate price for ptosis correction alone is not published; because the total cost depends on the cause, scope of correction, and any combined surgery, it is confirmed after an examination, and non-covered fees may change.

Ptosis is a problem of eye-opening strength rather than the crease, so the cause of drooping and muscle function should be checked before choosing a line. Let us know when the drooping began, whether it came on suddenly, and whether you have other eye symptoms, and we will set the direction of care together.