Eyes
Drooping eyelid
An upper eyelid that hangs lower than usual, on one or both sides, which can develop slowly with age or muscle conditions, but which when it appears suddenly — especially with face droop, weakness, severe headache or double vision — can signal a stroke or other emergency.
Education and reference only. This explains the common causes of drooping eyelid and the warning signs that need urgent help, in plain language — it is not a diagnosis or a substitute for advice from a clinician. If you feel very unwell or are worried, seek medical help.
Quick answer
What is drooping eyelid?
A drooping upper eyelid, known as ptosis, means the lid sits lower than normal and may partly cover the eye. The crucial questions are how quickly it came on and what comes with it.
- Get urgent help: Call 999 if a drooping eyelid comes on suddenly with face drooping, arm weakness or slurred speech — remember FAST, this is a stroke until proven otherwise. Call 999 or seek emergency help for a sudden droop with a severe headache, double vision, a different-sized pupil, or eye pain — this can signal a serious problem behind the eye.
- Self-care: There is limited self-care for a drooping eyelid, because the priority is to work out the cause rather than to manage it at home — and a sudden droop should never be self-managed.
About drooping eyelid
A drooping upper eyelid, known as ptosis, means the lid sits lower than normal and may partly cover the eye. The crucial questions are how quickly it came on and what comes with it. A gradual droop developing over months or years, often with age as the lid muscle stretches, is usually harmless. A droop that varies through the day and worsens with tiredness or use, particularly with double vision or weakness elsewhere, can point to a muscle or nerve condition. By contrast, a sudden new droop is the one that matters most: when it accompanies a face droop, arm weakness or slurred speech, it can be a stroke and the FAST emergency applies; when a sudden droop comes with a severe headache, double vision, or a pupil that is a different size to the other, it can signal a serious problem affecting the nerves or blood vessels behind the eye and needs emergency assessment. A droop with a red, watering eye and severe one-sided pain can come from a cluster headache, and a droop with a facial weakness can follow a nerve palsy or shingles.
When to get help
Call 999 or go to A&E if drooping eyelid comes with any of these warning signs:
- Call 999 if a drooping eyelid comes on suddenly with face drooping, arm weakness or slurred speech — remember FAST, this is a stroke until proven otherwise.
- Call 999 or seek emergency help for a sudden droop with a severe headache, double vision, a different-sized pupil, or eye pain — this can signal a serious problem behind the eye.
- Seek emergency help for a droop with sudden weakness, numbness, difficulty swallowing or breathing, which can mean a nerve or muscle emergency.
- Seek urgent help for a droop with a painful, blistering rash around the eye, redness or any change in vision.
- See a doctor promptly for a drooping eyelid that varies through the day or worsens with tiredness, especially with double vision.
When to see a doctor
A sudden drooping eyelid is an emergency until proven otherwise — call 999, especially if it comes with face droop, arm weakness or slurred speech (FAST), or with a severe headache, double vision, eye pain or a different-sized pupil. Seek urgent help for a droop with a blistering rash around the eye or any change in vision. For a droop that has come on slowly over months, or one that varies through the day and worsens with use, book an appointment so conditions such as a muscle or nerve disorder, or an age-related stretch of the lid, can be assessed.
Not sure how urgent it is? It is always OK to call NHS 111 for advice, day or night.
What can cause it
Common causes of drooping eyelid
Drooping eyelid has many possible causes. Each links to a full, plain-language guide to that condition — what it is, how it's treated and when to seek help.
What helps
Self-care and what you can do
There is limited self-care for a drooping eyelid, because the priority is to work out the cause rather than to manage it at home — and a sudden droop should never be self-managed. If a clinician has confirmed a long-standing, harmless droop, the main thing is to protect the eye if the lid is not closing fully, for example by keeping the surface from drying out as advised and shielding it from wind and dust. If the eyelid droop affects your vision, take care with tasks such as driving until it has been assessed. Note when the droop is worse — for instance whether it worsens through the day or with tiredness — as this helps your clinician, and report any new symptoms such as double vision, weakness or difficulty swallowing promptly. Any sudden change always needs urgent assessment rather than home care.
Answers
Drooping eyelid: frequently asked questions
When is a drooping eyelid an emergency?
Treat a sudden droop as a 999 emergency, especially with face droop, arm weakness or slurred speech (the FAST signs of stroke), or with a severe headache, double vision, eye pain or a pupil that is a different size to the other. These can signal a stroke or another serious cause.
Why has my eyelid started drooping with age?
A gradual droop over months or years is often due to stretching of the muscle and tissues that lift the lid, which is common with age and usually harmless. If it affects your vision, it can be assessed, but it is not an emergency.
My eyelid droops more when I am tired — what does that mean?
A droop that varies through the day and worsens with tiredness or use, especially with double vision or weakness, can point to a condition affecting the nerve-muscle junction such as myasthenia gravis. This should be reviewed by a clinician.
Can a drooping eyelid go away on its own?
It depends on the cause. A droop from a temporary facial nerve weakness often recovers over weeks, while other causes may persist or need treatment. A sudden droop should never be left to settle on its own and needs urgent assessment.
Sources
Where this is drawn from
- NICE CKS: Ptosis.
- Stroke Association.
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