Study shows use of Contact Lenses can lead to drooping Upper Eyelids
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ASAPS recently published an interesting study regarding the connection of using contact lenses and droopy upper eyelids. This study is published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal (which is the official publication of ASAPS). What are the findings of the study?
It seems that hard and soft contact lenses are probably responsible for ptosis, the drooping of the upper eyelids. The studies was conducted 96 sets of identical twins and showed that twins that were wearing hard contact lenses had a 1.84 mm average ptosis while those who were wearing soft contact lenses had a 1.41 mm average ptosis, comparing to identical twins that were not using contact lenses and had an average of 1.00 mm ptosis.
Is this difference important? Dr. Bahman Guyuron, a renowned plastic surgeon based on Cleveland, Ohio reports:“The difference between one millimeter and two may not seem like much, but when it comes to eyelids, it is significant. Plastic surgeons who specialize in surgery of the lower and upper eyelids attest that even a ½ millimeter can make a world of difference when it comes to vision and overall appearance”.
The researchers also tried to connect droopiness with other factors like BMI, sun exposure, alcohol consumption or smoking but they didn’t find any important statistical impact.
Dr. Guyuron also commented on the idea of the whole study based on the identical twins:“Identical twins are genetically destined to have similar facial and eyelid features, so any difference in these structures is primarily related to environmental factors,” and added“We assessed the correlations of many different environmental factors that could contribute to upper eyelid droopy eyelids and wearing contact lenses was the only external factor that was linked. This is attributed to the recurrent traction of the eyelid during placement and removal of the lens.
PS: For details on the potential of eyelid surgery click here.
