Paralyzed eyelids reanimated with a closed-eyelid spring.

Implantation of gold weights and open wire springs to close the eyelid have provided good corneal protection in selected patients with eyelid paralysis. These techniques, however, do not overcome lower eyelid drooping. The closed-eyelid spring technique was developed to address this problem, and, to date, the author has implanted 27 closed-eyelid springs. This technique has reestablished a voluntary blink, provided corneal protection, and effectively held the lower lid in a relatively normal position in 25 of 27 patients. This report describes patient selection, surgical technique, and results of implanting closed-eyelid springs to reanimate paralyzed eyelids.