Blepharoptosis in children: our experience at the light of literature.

AIMS: We herein report a 5 years experience of management and care of children presenting blepharoptosis at the light of the literature regarding this uncommon pathology. This report aims to display the most common causes of blepharoptosis and its possible treatment.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Clinical and epidemiological data collected from our institution, over a fi ve year period, on 60 patients, 37 males and 23 females with a mean age of 5.4 years (range 0.6 to 15.6 years) affected by blepharoptosis were analyzed.

RESULTS: Ptosis was unilateral in 39/60 patients (65%) and bilateral in 21/60 (35%). The causes of ptosis were myogenic (40%), and neurogenic (35%), most commonly congenital. Among the neurogenic ptosis, the most frequent causes were PTOS type 1 and Marcus-Gunn syndrome. All the cases of acquired neurogenic ptosis were associated with paralysis of the oculomotor nerve. Ptosis plus was found in 23.3% of the patients, mechanical origin was present in 1.7% of patients. Family history was positive in the 10% of the patients.

CONCLUSIONS: Our series reflect the range of ptosis of the general pediatric population. This study highlights the high degree of heterogeneity in patients with ptosis; only with an accurate analysis of the family and patient history and of the clinical features it is possible to perform an accurate diagnosis, finding the genetic causes and an adequate treatment.