Should I avoid rubbing my eyelid for the rest of my life after ptosis surgery?

that's a long time to avoid rubbing your eyes! In my practice, I actually have patients start massaging their eyelids at 1 week post op after eyelids surgery. This helps with the post op itching that patients often get. I don't know exactly what you had done, but in general, scar tissue has set in and at full strength by 1 month post op and there should not be any way that you can "mess up" your results by that point. 

That is an excellent question. First, I would ask your surgeon. In general we advise that patients not rub their eyes or sleep on the operated side or stomach for several weeks after surgery (usually up to a month) to avoid either opening the incision or causing the muscle repair to come apart. After that eyelid rubbing, if it is vigorous and/or frequent, can cause the ptosis to recur because it can cause the muscle to pull back from it's normal anatomical position. This is how I advise my patents. I do suggest you ask this of your surgeon,