Last updated: 11/24/2009

The eye needs the lid for protection. It also needs tears and periodic blinking to cleanse it and keep it moist. There are many conditions that impair these functions and threaten the eye, specifically the cornea, with drying. Sewing the eyelids partially...

together helps protect the eye until the underlying condition can be corrected.

A partial list of the conditions that can require tarsorrhaphy includes:

• Paralysis or weakness of the eyelids so that they cannot close or blink adequately. Bell's palsy is a nerve condition that weakens the muscles of the face, including the eyelids. It is usually temporary. Myasthenia gravis also weakens facial muscles, but it is usually treatable. A stroke can also weaken eyelids so that they do not close.
• Exophthalmos (eyes bulging out of their sockets) occurs with Graves' disease of the thyroid, and with tumors behind the eyes. If the eyes bulge out too far, the lids cannot close over them.
• Enophthalmos is a condition in which the eye falls back into the socket, making the eyelid ineffective.
• Several eye and corneal diseases cause swelling of the cornea, and require temporary added protection until the condition resolves.
• Sjögren's syndrome reduces tear flow to the point where it can endanger the cornea.
• Dendritic ulcers of the cornea caused by viruses may need to be covered with the eyelid while they heal.