Lash ptosis as a characteristic sign of floppy eyelid syndrome

To find a correlation between the floppy eyelid syndrome and the clinical sign of lash ptosis and loss of eyelash parallelism and develop an algorithm for early diagnosis.

This is a prospective case-control study including 97 consecutive patients diagnosed with floppy eyelid and 81 healthy sex- and age-matched controls. The study was conducted in Professor Pashev Eye Hospital, Sofia between January 2011 and December 2012. The clinical sign of lash ptosis and loss of eyelash parallelism was investigated in two stages. The condition was graded using a specially designed algorithm.

Lash ptosis and loss of eyelash parallelism was documented in all 97 (100%) patients with floppy eyelid and only in 8 patients (9%) in the control group. Statistical analysis of the results showed a very strong association between this sign and the floppy eyelid syndrome (p <0.0001), and a correlation between the degree of lash ptosis and stage of the disease (p < 0.001).

The clinical sign of lash ptosis and loss of eyelash parallelism is characteristic for the syndrome. Recognizing this sign during a routine eye examination can facilitate a timely diagnosis of the frequently overlooked and improperly treated disorder of floppy eyelid.