The following symptoms and complaints may occur together with eyelid disease (eyelid problems):
Symptoms
- Pain
- Tear flow
- Swelling of the eyelids
- Itching
Notes
- Repetitive twitching of the orbicularis oculi muscle/ocular ring muscle (myokymia) is harmless.
- In case of xanthelasmia, think of hyperlipoproteinemia (dyslipidemia).
- In alopecia (hair loss), a loss of eyelashes is a negative sign.
Warning signs (red flags)
- Bilateral (bilateral) ptosis (drooping of the eyelid) + increase during the day → think of: Myasthenia gravis (synonyms: myasthenia gravis pseudoparalytica; MG); rare neurologic autoimmune disease, with characteristic symptoms such as abnormal strain-dependent and painless muscle weakness, typical eyelid drooping, asymmetry, besides local also temporal variability (fluctuation) in the course of hours, days, resp. Weeks, an improvement after recovery or rest periods; clinically can be differentiated a purely ocular (“the eye concerning”), a faciopharyngeal (“the face (Facies) and the throat (pharynx) concerning”) emphasized and a generalized myasthenia; about 10% of cases already show a manifestation in childhood.
- Miosis (pupillary constriction) + ptosis (drooping of the upper eyelid) + pseudoenophthalmos (apparently sunken eyeball) → think of: Horner’s syndrome (e.g., in thyroid carcinoma, neuroblastoma).
- Acute ptosis of one eyelid → further clarification required!
- Acute inflammation of the orbita (orbital inflammation) → immediate referral to an eye clinic required!
