I have slight ptosis on both eyes. Can ptosis repair be done under sedation?

Ptosis repair can be done with local or with local sedation.  You can certainly have it done with sedation and still check the lid height.  We usually give a heavier sedation at the beginning of the surgery when we are administering the local anesthesia injections.  After that there is no pain, and they can decrease the amount of sedation so that  you are still comfortable and not anxious but can still open your eyes when asked.  

However, for the anxious, iv sedation is very helpful.  The key is light sedation that removes your anxiety and makes you comfortable.  However, I have done many patients without sedation.  If your surgeon does not have an accredited surgery center, they may simply do these procedures without the sedation.  If this is the case, ask your surgeon to take you to an accredited surgery center so you can have your surgery awake with intravenous sedation.  

There are two phases to ptosis surgery.  The first is the isolation of the eyelid muscle from the surrounding tissues.  You can be well sedated for this portion of the surgery and thus be made comfortable and pain-free.  The second phase of ptosis surgery is best performed with you awake, allowing your surgeon to adjust the lid heights with your cooperation. This scenario is best achieved with the help of en experienced anesthesiologist, preferably well known to the eyelid surgeon.  An experienced eyelid surgeon, however, can usually determine appropriate lid height with the patient deeply sedated.   

I always do eyelid surgery under some kind of sedation as I can certainly understand how anxiety provoking surgery on your eyelids can be! That said, your surgeon is correct that it is important for you to be able to open and close your eyes for him during the surgery to assure symmetry. I usually sedate patients heavily at the beginning while I am injecting local anesthesia so that they don't feel anything. Then I allow the patients to "wake up" during the course of surgery as they are completely numb. Measuring eyelid excursion and symmetry generally happens toward the end of surgery once much of the sedation has worn off (but while the local anesthesia is still in effect!) 

There are various ways to surgically correct ptosis (droopy eyelids).  Some methods are more accurate if you can open an close your eyes at one or two points in the surgery.  However modern anesthesia is very good at keeping you sedated and then letting you wake up a little when needed (you don't need to be very awake just to open your eyes).  Bottom line you should be able to have sedation with your ptosis surgery.  However there may be a brief period when the surgeon has you wake up partially to open your eyes.  You can then be sedated again for the remainder of the procedure if you would like.  There should absolutely no discomfort when you are awake.Hope this is helpful.