How to Repair the Lower Eyelid Retraction, Resulting from the Primary Surgery for Epiblepharon?

Abstract

A 23 year-old-woman underwent the primary surgery of the bilateral epiblepharon at 5 years of age. She noticed excessive whiteness in the right sclera at 17 years of age. Five years later, she finally decided to go through the corrective surgery as a young mature lady. In the primary position of the gaze, measurement of the distance from the lower limbus of the right cornea was approximately 2 mm. We experienced a corrective procedure of the right lower eyelid retraction after the primary surgery for epiblepharon. The incision in the lower eyelid was made along the scar of the previous surgery. Subsequently connection between the tarsus and the lower eyelid retractors were set free. The harvested auricular cartilage was placed between the lower edge of the tarsus and the lower eyelid retractors. The cartilage was fixed to edge of the tarsus and the posterior layer of the lower eyelid retractors with nylon sutures, respectively. One year after the repair, there was no gross difference of the distance between the lower margin of the cornea limbus and eyelid in the either side. She appeared to extremely happy with the result. In our surgical technique, the lengthening the posterior layer of the lower eyelidretractors with the small amount of auricular cartilage was accomplished functionally and cosmetically nice outcomes.