[A case of blepharoptosis associated with long-term use of soft contact lenses]

Several articles have reported a growing number of acquired blepharoptosis in wearing soft contact lens. Although wearing hard contact lens is widely accepted as a risk factor for acquired blepharoptosis, there is a relative paucity of information on the risk posed by soft contact lenses.

A 51-year-old female who had used soft contact lenses for more than 30 years complained of unilateral blepharoptosis. The affected upper eyelid demonstrated good levator function and high lid crease. Instillation of 5% phenylephrine resulted in resolution of the blepharoptosis. A transcutaneous levator resection disclosed thinning of the levator aponeurosis and showed good results postsurgically. A biopsy specimen from the levator aponeurosis and Müller muscle demonstrated sparse muscle fibers and negligible collagen fibers in the intermuscular space.

Although the clinical features are similar to those of acquired blepharoptosis in wearers of hard contact lenses, the histopathological findings may differ from the results of blepharoptosis induced by prolonged use of hard contacts and involutional blepharoptosis as reported previously.