Mumbai: A teenage girl’s childhood injury, which led her to a rare condition of drooping eyelid, was cured after 13 years through a pediatric surgery. While the pediatric ptosis affects roughly 8.5% of children, trauma-induced cases are considered rarer and more complex.
A resident of a village near Mumbai, a 13-year-old girl lived with drooping eyelids caused by childhood trauma. What started as a childhood injury left her with congenital ptosis, which is a rare condition where the upper eyelid droops due to weakened muscles.
According to her parents, the condition didn’t affect her vision but exposed her to teasing from classmates and relatives, leaving her increasingly withdrawn and self-conscious.
The girl belonged to a humble family with her father being an auto driver and her mother a housemaid, which delayed the surgery for years, worried that she was too young for a procedure that was considered mainly cosmetic. However, as the emotional toll grew, they finally sought help from Dr. Ashwini Raut, an oculoplasty specialist at RJ Sankara Eye Hospital in Panvel.
The doctor said that in India, pediatric ptosis affects roughly 8.5% of children, but trauma-induced cases like Mira’s are rarer and medically more complex. “What made this tricky was we didn’t know how much her eyelid muscle would respond after so many years. Repairing it required a fine balance that was not too little, not too much,” Dr. Raut added.
The doctors worked on the main muscle responsible for lifting the eyelid, which had become weak due to trauma. By carefully shortening and adjusting this muscle, through a technique called levator resection, they were able to lift the eyelid to its correct position. At the same time, they recreated the natural skin fold, so the repaired eye would match the appearance of the other eye.
Within 10 days, she was back to her normal routine but this time, with her eyelid lifted and confidence restored. The doctor said that beyond vision, ptosis correction often has a profound emotional impact.
“The face is what people notice first. For many young girls, being able to walk into a room and meet people’s eyes without feeling conscious changes everything. Especially in school, children can be quick to notice and comment on differences. While they may not intend harm, for a child on the receiving end, these constant reminders slowly chip away at their confidence, making them feel isolated or different from their peers,” Dr. Raut added.
