BW test page – Medisites Design

What happens, step by step.

No pressure at any stage. You decide if and when to go ahead.

Consultation

You meet Mr Daniel Ashworth, talk through what is bothering you, and he examines your eyelids.
Your plan

He explains the options, including not having surgery. Fees are confirmed in writing before you decide.
Surgery

Most eyelid operations are done under local anaesthetic, and you go home the same day.
Aftercare

A follow-up appointment checks healing, and the clinic is on hand for questions in between.

Who it can help.

Upper eyelid surgery may suit you if:

Extra skin folds onto your eyelashes or the lid itself
Your eyelids feel heavy or tired, especially by the evening
Hooded lids get in the way of the top of your vision
You are in good general health and want a natural-looking change

It is not always the right answer. A low brow or a weak eyelid muscle (ptosis) can look similar and needs a different treatment. That is what the consultation is for.

Prefer to talk it through?

Call the clinic team on 0161 000 0000, Monday – Friday, 8.30am to 5.30pm.

Call 0161 000 0000 Email the clinic

Prefer to talk it through?

Call the clinic team on 0161 000 0000, Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.30pm.

Call 0161 000 0000 Email the clinic

Glossary of terms.

Clinical words you may hear at your consultation, in plain English.

Adnexa

The parts around the eye: the eyelids, the tear glands and tear ducts, and the eye socket.

Anaesthetic, general

Medicine that puts you into a controlled sleep, so you are not aware of the operation.

Anaesthetic, local

An injection that numbs the area being operated on. You stay awake but feel no pain.

Anterior lamella

The front layer of the eyelid: the skin and the muscle that closes the eye.

Aponeurosis

The thin sheet of tendon that joins the eyelid-lifting muscle to the upper eyelid.

Aponeurotic ptosis

The most common kind of droopy eyelid in adults. The lifting tendon stretches or comes loose with age, or after many years of wearing contact lenses.

Astigmatism

The front of the eye is curved more in one direction than the other, so vision is blurred or distorted. A large eyelid lump can cause it by pressing on the eye.

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC)

The most common skin cancer on the eyelids. It grows slowly and very rarely spreads, but it should be removed.

Bell’s palsy

Sudden weakness of the muscles on one side of the face. It can stop the eye from closing fully.

Benign

Not cancer. A benign lump does not spread to other parts of the body.

Biopsy

Removing a small piece of tissue so it can be examined under a microscope.

Blepharitis

Inflammation of the eyelid edges, making them sore, itchy, red or crusty. It is common and often long-term, but it can be kept under control.

Blepharoplasty

Surgery to remove extra skin, and sometimes fat, from the upper or lower eyelids.

Blepharospasm

Blinking or closing of the eyes that you cannot control, caused by overactive muscles around the eyes.

Botulinum toxin

A medicine injected in tiny doses to relax overactive muscles. It is used for blepharospasm and hemifacial spasm, and for lines around the eyes.

Brow lift

An operation to raise a low or drooping eyebrow. Also called a browplasty.

Brow ptosis

An eyebrow that sits lower than it should, pushing skin down onto the upper eyelid.

Canaliculi

The two tiny tubes that carry tears from the inner corner of the eyelids to the tear sac.

Canthopexy

An operation that tightens the outer corner of the eyelids to support a loose lower lid.

Canthus

The corner of the eye, where the upper and lower eyelids meet. The inner corner is the medial canthus; the outer corner is the lateral canthus.

Cellulitis

An infection of the skin and tissue around the eye. Preseptal cellulitis affects only the eyelid; orbital cellulitis goes deeper, behind the eye, and needs urgent treatment.

Chalazion

A painless lump in the eyelid caused by a blocked oil gland. Many settle with warm compresses; some need a small operation.

Cicatricial

Caused by scarring. For example, cicatricial ectropion is an eyelid pulled outwards by scarred or tight skin.

Congenital ptosis

A droopy eyelid present from birth, usually because the lifting muscle did not develop fully.

Conjunctiva

The thin, clear layer that covers the white of the eye and lines the inside of the eyelids.

Conjunctivitis

Inflammation of the conjunctiva, making the eye red, sticky or itchy. It is caused by infection or allergy.

Cornea

The clear window at the front of the eye.

Cryotherapy

Treatment by freezing. It can destroy lash roots that grow the wrong way, or some small growths.

CT scan

A detailed X-ray scan, used to look at the eye socket, the bones around it and the sinuses.

Cyst

A small sac filled with fluid or soft material. Most cysts on the eyelids are harmless.

Dacryocystitis

An infection of the tear sac, causing a painful, red swelling beside the nose. It usually happens because the tear duct is blocked.

Dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR)

An operation that makes a new route for tears to drain from the tear sac into the nose, bypassing a blocked tear duct. It is done through a small cut beside the nose or from inside the nose (endoscopic DCR).

Day case

An operation after which you go home the same day.

Dermatochalasis

Extra, loose skin on the upper or lower eyelids, usually because of ageing.

Diplopia

Double vision.

Dry eye

The eyes do not make enough tears, or the tears dry too quickly, leaving the eyes gritty and sore. Dry eyes can also water.

Ectropion

An eyelid, usually the lower one, that sags or turns outwards, away from the eye.

Endoscopic

Done with a thin telescope and camera, for example inside the nose, so there is no cut on the skin.

Entropion

An eyelid that turns inwards, so the lashes rub against the eye.

Enucleation

An operation to remove the eye. An artificial eye is fitted afterwards.

Epiphora

A watery eye: tears that spill onto the cheek.

Evisceration

An operation to remove the contents of the eye, leaving its white outer shell. An artificial eye is fitted afterwards.

Excision

Cutting something out, for example removing a lump from the eyelid.

Exophthalmos

Eyes that bulge forward, most often because of thyroid eye disease. Also called proptosis.

Exposure keratopathy

Damage to the front of the eye because the eyelids do not close fully and the eye dries out.

Eyeball

The object in the skull

Eyelid margin

The edge of the eyelid, where the lashes grow.

Floppy eyelid syndrome

Very loose upper eyelids that turn out easily, often during sleep. It is linked with sleep apnoea.

Fluorescein

An orange dye used in eye drops to show scratches on the front of the eye, or to check whether tears drain away.

Frontalis muscle

The forehead muscle that raises the eyebrows.

Frontalis sling

An operation that links the upper eyelid to the forehead muscle, so you can lift the lid by raising your brow. It is used when the eyelid muscle is very weak. Also called brow suspension.

Graves’ disease

An overactive thyroid caused by the immune system. It can lead to thyroid eye disease.

Hemifacial spasm

Twitching that you cannot control on one side of the face, including around the eye.

Histology

Examining tissue under a microscope to find out exactly what it is.

Hooded eyelids

Upper eyelids where a fold of skin hangs over the crease, sometimes down onto the lashes.

Incision and curettage

A small operation to drain a chalazion from the inside of the eyelid, so there is no scar on the skin.

Inflammation

The body’s response to injury or infection: redness, swelling, warmth and soreness.

Involutional

Caused by ageing, as tissues stretch and loosen over time. Most ectropion and entropion is involutional.

Jones tube

A small glass tube placed at the inner corner of the eye so tears can drain into the nose, used when the tiny drainage channels are badly blocked.

Keratitis

Inflammation of the cornea. It can be painful and affect your sight.

Lacrimal gland

The gland under the outer part of the upper eyelid that makes tears.

Lacrimal sac

The small pouch beside the nose that collects tears before they drain down into the nose. Also called the tear sac.

Lagophthalmos

Being unable to close the eyelids fully, so part of the eye stays uncovered.

Lateral tarsal strip

An operation that tightens a loose lower eyelid by shortening it and reattaching it at the outer corner. It is often used for ectropion and entropion.

Levator function

How far the upper eyelid’s lifting muscle can raise the lid. It is measured to plan ptosis surgery.

Levator muscle

The muscle that lifts the upper eyelid.

Lower eyelid blepharoplasty

Surgery to reduce bags under the eyes by removing or moving fat, and sometimes removing skin.

Malignant

Cancerous: able to grow into nearby tissue or spread to other parts of the body.

Meibomian glands

Tiny oil glands along the edges of the eyelids. Their oil stops tears drying out too quickly.

Melanoma

A less common but more serious skin cancer, which can affect the eyelid.

Mohs surgery

An operation for skin cancer that removes it in thin layers, checking each one under the microscope until none is left, so as much healthy skin as possible is kept.

MRI scan

A scan that uses a strong magnet, not X-rays, to show soft tissue in detail.

Müller’s muscle

A small muscle under the main lifting muscle that helps hold the upper eyelid up.

Nasal endoscopy

Looking inside the nose with a thin camera.

Nasolacrimal duct

The tube that carries tears from the tear sac down into the nose. Often called the tear duct.

Nasolacrimal duct obstruction

A blocked tear duct. It causes a watery eye, and sometimes a sticky eye or an infection.

Oculoplastic surgery

Surgery on the eyelids, the tear ducts, the eye socket and the face around the eyes.

Ophthalmologist

A medical doctor who specialises in eyes and eye surgery.

Optometrist

A health professional who tests sight, prescribes glasses and contact lenses, and checks the health of the eyes. Often called an optician.

Orbicularis oculi

The ring of muscle around the eye that closes the eyelids.

Orbit

The bony socket that holds the eye, with its muscles, fat, nerves and blood vessels.

Orbital decompression

An operation that makes more room in the eye socket so a bulging eye can settle back. It is most often used for thyroid eye disease.

Orbital septum

A thin sheet of tissue in the eyelid that holds the fat around the eye in place.

Papilloma

A small, harmless skin growth, like a skin tag. Common on the eyelids.

Posterior lamella

The back layer of the eyelid: the firm tarsal plate and its lining.

Proptosis

An eye that is pushed forward or bulges. See exophthalmos.

Ptosis

A drooping upper eyelid that sits lower than it should, sometimes over the pupil.

Ptosis repair

An operation to lift a droopy upper eyelid, usually by tightening or reattaching the lifting muscle’s tendon.

Punctal plug

A tiny plug placed in a tear drainage opening to keep more tears on the eye, used for dry eye.

Punctoplasty

A small operation to widen a narrow punctum so tears can drain away.

Punctum

One of the tiny openings at the inner end of the upper and lower eyelid edges, where tears drain away. The plural is puncta.

Recurrence

A condition coming back after treatment.

Retina

The light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye.

Sedation

Medicine that makes you relaxed and drowsy during an operation under local anaesthetic.

Skin graft

Skin taken from another part of the body, often behind the ear or the upper eyelid, to repair the eyelid.

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)

A skin cancer that can affect the eyelids. It is less common than basal cell carcinoma but more likely to spread, so it is removed promptly.

Stye

A painful red lump on the edge of the eyelid, caused by an infected lash root or oil gland. It usually settles by itself with warm compresses.

Sutures

Stitches. Some dissolve by themselves; others are taken out, usually after about a week.

Syringing

Flushing salty water through the tear drainage channels to check whether they are blocked.

Tarsal plate

The firm strip of tissue inside each eyelid that gives it its shape and strength. Also called the tarsus.

Tear duct

The small channel that drains tears from the eye into the nose.

Tear film

The thin layer of tears that coats the front of the eye, made of oil, water and mucus.

Thyroid eye disease

A condition of the immune system, usually linked with an overactive thyroid, that makes the tissues around the eyes swell. It can make the eyes bulge, pull the eyelids back and cause double vision.