Digital image processing measurement of the upper eyelid contour in Graves disease and congenital blepharoptosis

This study used image processing techniques to quantify the upper eyelid contour of patients with Graves upper eyelid retraction and congenital blepharoptosis.

The study design was a cross-sectional study.

A total of 29 patients with Graves disease, 22 patients with congenital blepharoptosis, and 50 patients with no history of eye disease participated.

The images of the palpebral fissure of all participants were transferred to a personal computer and processed with NIH Image 1.55 software.

The following parameters were analyzed: the curvature of the upper eyelid contour, the position of the contour peak relative to the midline, and the ratio between the temporal and nasal upper quadrant areas of the palpebral fissure.

All upper eyelid contours could be fitted with second-degree polynomial functions. The mean temporal/nasal area ratio was 1.33 mm in patients with Graves disease, 0.92 mm in patients with blepharoptosis, and 1.04 mm in control subjects. The peak of the upper eyelid contour was found to be lateral to the midline in control subjects (1.05 mm) and in patients with Graves disease (2.09 mm). In patients with blepharoptosis, the peak was 0.69 mm medial to the midline. Overall, the distance between the midpupil and the upper eyelid margin was correlated with several factors: the degree of curvature, the position of the peak of the eyelid contour, and the temporal/nasal area ratio.

In Graves eyelid retraction, the curvature of the upper eyelid is enhanced, the peak of the contour is displaced laterally, and the temporal upper quadrant area is increased. Conversely, in congenital blepharoptosis, the eyelid is almost flat, the peak of the contour is displaced medially, and the upper quadrant area is diminished. The lateral segment of the upper eyelid is more involved than the nasal segment in both Graves upper eyelid retraction and congenital blepharoptosis.