Ectropion
Overview
Ectropion is when your lower eyelid droops or sags away from your eye and turns outwards. It's not usually serious but can be uncomfortable.
Symptoms
Ectropion mainly affects your lower eyelid and can happen in 1 or both eyelids at the same time. It's more common in older people. The main symptoms of ectropion include: a drooping and sagging lower eyelida sore, irritated and red eye and eyelid – eyelid redness may be harder to see on brown or black skindifficulty closing your eyewatery eyesdry and gritty feeling eyes It also means you're more likely to get infections likeconjunctivitis.
Causes
Ectropion is usually caused by aging, as the muscles around your eye become weaker. Less commonly it can be caused by: using eye drops continuously for a long timenerve problems or conditions that cause facial paralysis, likeBell's palsya lump, cyst or tumour on your eyeliddamage to the skin around your eye because of an injury, burn or scarring from previous surgery
Treatment
A GP will be able to diagnose ectropion by examining your eye. They may refer you to an eye specialist (ophthalmologist) for further assessment. Treatment depends on what symptoms you have and what's causing ectropion. If your symptoms are mild, you may not need treatment. If you cannot shut your eye properly, treatment may include: using eye ointment or drops to soothe your eye and stop it becoming drytaping your lower and upper eyelids together to protect your cornea (the clear, outer part at the front of the eye) – your eye specialist will show you how to do this with special skin tape Try to avoid wiping or rubbing your eyes too much, as this can make ectropion worse. If you need to wipe your eyes, dab them gently and carefully with a clean tissue.