Sign-in to Ask A Doctor - 24x7
OR
Sign in with Google
Have Great Difficulty Opening Eyelid. Any Idea?
Question: When I wake I have great difficulty opening left eyelid.I t feels that the muscle in the eyelid isn't working.However after a few seconds of blurry eye when I have manually pulled it up, the eyelid works perfectly all day...no gunk or drooping, althl. .ough it does feel very slightly gritty.
This has been going on for a few weeks...any ideas
This has been going on for a few weeks...any ideas
Hi,
Thank you for posting your query.
First of all, I would like to reassure that your symptoms are unlikely to be due to any serious problem.
There are two common reasons for drooping of eyelid- myasthenia gravis and third cranial nerve palsy.
In myasthenia gravis, there is drooping of eyelid, which is worse in the evenings (unlike yours), along with other symptoms such as double vision, slurred speech, swallowing difficulty, etc.
In third cranial nerve (nerve starting from brain supplying to upper eyelid) palsy, the drooping should be present the whole day, along with double vision.
So, based on the description, you do not seem to have either of the above problems.
With ageing, the muscle in the eyelids does become weak, which can lead to drooping. I feel this could be the case in you.
Please consult a neurologist or a neuro-ophthalmologist for further evaluation.
Best wishes,
Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM (Neurology) XXXXXXX Consultant Neurologist
Thank you for posting your query.
First of all, I would like to reassure that your symptoms are unlikely to be due to any serious problem.
There are two common reasons for drooping of eyelid- myasthenia gravis and third cranial nerve palsy.
In myasthenia gravis, there is drooping of eyelid, which is worse in the evenings (unlike yours), along with other symptoms such as double vision, slurred speech, swallowing difficulty, etc.
In third cranial nerve (nerve starting from brain supplying to upper eyelid) palsy, the drooping should be present the whole day, along with double vision.
So, based on the description, you do not seem to have either of the above problems.
With ageing, the muscle in the eyelids does become weak, which can lead to drooping. I feel this could be the case in you.
Please consult a neurologist or a neuro-ophthalmologist for further evaluation.
Best wishes,
Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM (Neurology) XXXXXXX Consultant Neurologist
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
Get personalised answers from verified doctor in minutes across 80+ specialties
