As time passes, the muscle that lift the eyelid can become stretched and loose. This happens naturally with age and can worsen from eye surgeries. In some cases, the eyelids droop so much, patients have trouble seeing because a good portion of their vision is obscured by their eyelids. These patients often get headaches from using their eyebrows to try to lift up their eyelids. Family members may say that it always appears as if the patient is asleep.

In most cases, this can be corrected through a relatively simply outpatient procedure. The patient is relaxed with some medication before local anesthesia is applied. The loose muscle is located and tightened so the eyelid is immediately lifted. Afterwards, patients notice an almost immediate significant improvement in their vision and appearance. Most swelling and bruising lasts about 2 weeks; however, it can take several weeks for bruising and swelling to completely resolve.