Lower Eyelid Trouble After ZMC Fracture Repair, Will It Fix Itself? (photo)

Your lower eyelid is not moving well due to scarring and muscle/nerve weakness.  Some of that may improve over the next 6 months, at which time, if still problematic, you can consider lower eyelid surgery to improve its position, by an oculoplastic surgeon. In the meantime, keep your eyes lubricted.

You have a classic ectropion ("ek tro pee yon").  Ectropion can have many causes (old age, trauma, scar , muscle weakness).  Your ectropion is most likely secondary to scar from the surgical access to fix the orbital rim and/or repair the orbital floor of your ZMC fracture.  Typically with massage and time this will resolve.  Sometimes steroids injected in the scar will soften it.  The typical time to allow resolution is a minimal of 3 months.  If it does not resolve with time and/or steroids then surgical correction will be necessary.  The surgical method would tighten the lower eyelid and restore the normal anatomy.

Dr. ES