Doctors: What is the Name of This Eye Condition and What Can You Tell Me About It?

[HeyHomie]

Mrs. HeyHomie was born with a disorder that caused her to have extemely small eyelids. She says that if she hadn’t had it corrected then she would probably be blind by now. Neither she nor anyone in her family remembers the name of the disease.

She’s had three surgeries to correct it but needs a fourth and probably a fifth to have 100% normal eyes, and she’s put it off until now becuase she hasn’t deemed it necessary. Lately, though, she says she’s been having gooey “eye boogers” a lot and she thinks it’s related to her eye disease. We’re probably going to have to deal with this before too long.

Anyhoo, here are the pics:

As a baby, prior to any surgeries.

As a third-grader, after two surgeries.

How she looks now, after three surgeries.

Anyone know the name of this disease? Is it hereditary? Is ther a national organization or support group (not that we really need any support; just curious)?

[USCDiver]

Pics don’t work…I’ll look around for stuff in the meantime.

[HeyHomie]

Try http://photos.yahoo.com/rastahomie.

They’re there, I promise.

[alice_in_wonderland]

Nope. No pics.

Could it just be a congenital malformation of the eye-lids?

[Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker]

Didn’t any of the doctors who performed the surgeries mention the name of the condition?

[USCDiver]

My guess without seeing any pictures or any description other than “small eyelids” is a condition called congenital palpebral entropion.

From: Yanoff: Ophthalmology, 1st Ed.
Entropion is an eyelid malposition commonly encountered in the practice of comprehensive ophthalmology. It is defined by an inward rotation of the tarsus and eyelid margin (Fig. 6.1) , as a result of which the eyelid mucocutaneous junction and eyelashes contact the ocular surface to produce symptoms of foreign body sensation, secondary blepharospasm, ocular discharge, and epiphora. Conjunctival metaplasia, superficial keratopathy, and corneal scarring may occur. Entropion also is a risk factor for the development of microbial keratitis. The natural course of entropion is often progressive; its symptoms eventually become unremitting. Numerous techniques to correct this anomaly are reported. However, many older procedures do not provide adequate long-term success, which reflects the failure of earlier practitioners to appreciate the pathophysiology of this condition.

Multiple pathogenic factors, including lower eyelid tarsotendinous instability, capsulopalpebral fascia laxity, preseptal orbicularis muscle override, relative enophthalmos, obesity, and tarsoconjunctival fibrosis, have been identified as contributing to the anatomic basis of entropion. Contemporary surgical goals are to normalize eyelid function and appearance by determining the presence of the individual pathogenic factors and addressing their direct surgical correction.

[Qadgop_the_Mercotan]

All I get are error messages.

I must echo Earl. The very best source of info would be with her doctors. The best we can do here is a semi-educated WAG.