Correction of Small Eye Opening with Combined Method

Joh, Se Heum; Lee, Han Earl; Lee, Hae Min

Abstract

PURPOSE: Generally speaking, most of Korean have smaller eyes than those of Caucasian and they have epicanthus with narrow palpebral fissure. It makes external appearance looking dull because the length of the palpebral fissure is short and there is a epicanthus. In case the function of the levator muscle is weak, their eyes look much smaller. Epicanthus and weak levator muscle function make the eyes look dull. The above mentioned, authors want to introduce double eyelid operation, epicanthoplasty, levator plication to extend and lengthen the palpebral fissure.
METHODS
From August 2001 to August 2004, there were 138 cases that had double eyelid operation with epicanthoplasty or levator plication. the 69 cases of them had double eyelid operation and epicanthoplasty, the 33 cases of them had double eyelid operation and levator plication and the 36 cases of them had double eyelid operation and epicanthoplasty and levator plication.
RESULTS
After the operation, the length and height of the eyelid are improved remarkably, and most of the patients were satisfied. The length of the eyelid is improved 3to5mm(3.4+/-0.5mm) in case of the epicanthoplasty, the width of the eyelid is improved 3 to 4mm (3.1+/-0.3mm) by the levator plication. The length of the eyelid is improved 3to5(3.4+/-0.4mm) and the width is improved 2to4mm(2.9+/-0.5mm) by the epicanthoplasty used levator plication.
CONCLUSION
The improvement of the eyelid length is almost the same as epicanthoplasty and levator plication are done simultaneously. But the improvement of the eyelid width is less shorter when epicanthoplasty and levator plication are done simultaneously than the case of levator plication alone. This is because there is a tension influencing on the limitation of widening palpebral fissure to fix the epicanthal tendon. This method is recommendable for the patients who want to have much bigger eyes.