Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Surgical Correction for Pediatric Epiblepharon and Trichiasis
Published on: July 8, 2025
Unilateral eyelid lag and retraction as sequelae of trachoma
Adel H Alsuhaibani1, Yasser H Al-Fakey
1Department of Ophthalmology, King Abdul Aziz University Hospital Riyadh, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
A 42-year-old woman had a large right palpebral fissure 13 mm high with 0.5 mm of scleral show both superiorly and inferiorly due to upper and lower eyelid retraction. The upper eyelid showed eyelid lag behind the globe only during the initial ocular movement. Superior tarsal height measured 7.5 mm with palpebral conjunctival cicatrization and Arlt's line. Severe cases of trachoma may lead to contracture of the conjunctiva and deeper tissues including Müller muscle and the tarsal plate, which supports the insertion of the levator aponeurosis. Shortening of the posterior lamella and fornix contracture would explain eyelid retraction and failure of the upper eyelid to smoothly follow the globe on downgaze.
A 42-year-old woman had a large right palpebral fissure 13 mm high with 0.5 mm of scleral show both superiorly and inferiorly due to upper and lower eyelid retraction. The upper eyelid showed eyelid lag behind the globe only during the initial ocular movement. Superior tarsal height measured 7.5 mm with palpebral conjunctival cicatrization and Arlt's line. Severe cases of trachoma may lead to contracture of the conjunctiva and deeper tissues including Müller muscle and the tarsal plate, which supports the insertion of the levator aponeurosis. Shortening of the posterior lamella and fornix contracture would explain eyelid retraction and failure of the upper eyelid to smoothly follow the globe on downgaze.
Related Concept Videos
Accessory Structures of the Eye
Angle Closure Glaucoma: Treatment
Muscles of the Eye
Extraocular Muscles
The six extraocular muscles surround the eyeball and control its movements. They are responsible for a wide range of eye motions, including looking up, down, left, right, and rotating...
Glaucoma: Overview
