Drooping Eyelid - Post-cataract Removal? (photo)

Dear CaroleAnn.............thank you for your question. If indeed your cataract surgery was performed with an anesthetic "block" or injection, in which case you would have gone home immediately after surgery with a patch, then there may be a correlation to your surgery from the anesthetic injection causing weakening of the upper eyelid muscle known as the levator muscle. If, however, you went home without a patch because you had "topical anesthesia", then there would be no correlation with your cataract surgery. 
The eyelid drooping that you are noticing in your right upper eyelid is due to weakening of the levator muscle. Most commonly this gradually occurs due to aging, although there are other less common associated causes. The good news is that the eyelid muscle can undergo a "muscle-tightening" outpatient surgical procedure to bring up the lid once again. I would recommend seeing an ophthalmologist who has experience performing this type of procedure.

Good luck!

Emilio M. Justo, M.D., Founder & Medical Director

A drooping eyelid is an increasingly uncommon occurrence after cataract surgery, but it can still happen. The cause is, either damage to the muscle that supports the eyelid(this occurs when a suture is used to hold the eye steady during surgery.....very uncommon now) or occasionally the steroid drops used after surgery can cause a relaxation of this same muscle. The eyelid drooping as a result of steroid use typically resolves once the eyedrop is stopped. In either case, if your eyelid remains drooped like this, it can be repaired by a surgeon who specializes in this type of surgery. The repair of cataracts and the repair of eyelid droop(also called ptosis) are both very routine procedures.