Application of Palpebral Spring in Asian Patients With Paralytic Lagophthalmos

Literature on palpebral springs is scarce, and even more so for the Asian population. In this study, the authors evaluated their experience with palpebral spring placement for paralytic lagophthalmos in an Asian population. The authors report the unique challenges encountered due to the distinctive features in Asian eyelids and how they overcome them. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the application of palpebral springs in Asians.

All patients treated for paralytic lagophthalmos in the Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, from November 2013 to December 2015, were included in this study. The authors retrieved and analyzed the demographic data, preoperative assessment details, and treatment outcomes.

A total of 17 patients were recruited. The median interval between facial palsy occurrence and surgery was 66 months. Preoperatively, vertical palpebral fissure was 12.3 ± 1.7 mm with margin reflex distance 1 of 3.7 ± 0.3 mm and margin reflex distance 2 of 8.6 ± 1.6 mm. Lagophthalmos before surgery was 9.6 ± 2.3 mm. After the palpebral spring surgeries, vertical palpebral fissure was reduced to 9.1 ± 1.4 mm. margin reflex distance 1 is slightly reduced (3.3 ± 0.8 mm) and margin reflex distance 2 improved to 5.8 ± 1.0 mm. Lagophthalmos reduced significantly to 0.8 ± 1.3 mm. Seven patients required revision procedures.

Palpebral spring is a safe and effective treatment for Asian patients with paralytic lagophthalmos. However, surgeons should be aware of the unique challenges associated with the anatomy of Asian eyelids. Special adaptation of the procedure is required to optimize the outcome.