Eyelids

What do my eyelids do?

Your eyelids are a protective covering for your eyes, shielding them from outside objects and light. They also keep moisture in and help the surface of your eyes stay lubricated.

Your eyelids are a unique part of your body because they’re the only external layer of skin with no under-the-skin (subcutaneous) fat. That also makes them the thinnest layer of skin your body has. One of their main jobs is protecting your eyes. Your eye surface can easily absorb germs floating in the air. Your eyelids are a key part of how your body defends against that because germs have a harder time entering through skin.

Your eyelids aren’t just there to sit on top of your eyes. They’re supposed to glide across your eyes’ surfaces smoothly. And your eyes need moisture from tear fluid because it’s part of how your corneas — which don’t have any blood vessels in them — absorb oxygen from the air.

A good way to think of them is like a combination of the windshield wiper blades on a car and a retractable shade on a window inside a building. They help keep your eye surface safe and clean like wiper blades, and they can close to limit how much light enters your eyes, like a window shade.

What are the parts that make up my eyelids?

There are several parts to your eyelids. Some of them are functional, meaning they have a specific purpose. Others are cosmetic, meaning they contribute to your physical appearance.

One thing to remember is that “cosmetic” doesn’t mean something isn’t important. If you aren’t happy with your appearance, it can affect your mental and physical health alike. That’s one major reason why concern over your appearance isn’t empty vanity. It has real implications for how you feel emotionally and physically.

Conjunctiva

On the inside of your eyelids, there’s the conjunctiva, a thin membrane that folds over and also covers the white of your eye (the sclera). This membrane helps your eyelids move smoothly and forms a protective layer over a large part of your eye’s forward surface.

Eyelashes

Your eyelashes are a unique type of hair. They last longer than hair anywhere else on your body and are less likely to go gray or white like hair on your head. You have about 100 to 150 eyelashes on your upper eyelid (usually in two or three rows) and about 50 to 75 on your lower lid.

Eyelashes aren’t just there for how they look, either. Their jobs include:

• Dust and particulate capture. Your eyelashes catch dust and other small particulates floating around in the air, keeping them off the surface of your eyes.
• Moisture retention. Your eyelashes don’t just keep foreign particles out. They also help keep moisture close to your eye surface.
• Danger detection. Your eyelashes are very sensitive to anything touching them. Think of them like how you hold out your hand in the dark to keep from running into walls or furniture. If something touches them, it makes your eyes blink as a protective reflex.

Meibomian glands

Just inside your eyelids, right behind your eyelashes, are a series of small, oil-producing glands. Those are the meibomian (“may-BO-me-un”) glands. The oil they produce, meibum (“MAY-bum”), mixes with tear fluid and helps coat and protect your eye surface. Your tear fluid works better with meibum, doing a better job at lubricating and protecting your eye surface.

Connective tendons and ligaments

Just behind the skin of your upper and lower eyelids are the tarsal plates. Despite their name, they aren’t actually plates. They’re tightly packed strands of connective tissue.

Like elastic in the waistband of stretchy clothing, the tarsal plates help keep your eyelids snugly against your eye surface. The muscles and other connective tissue around your eye can tighten and tug on the tarsal plates, helping move your eyelids up and down.

Muscles

You have several other muscles that connect to and surround your eyelids. They help pull your eyelids up and down. You also use those muscles to control facial expressions that involve your eyes, like when you narrow your eyes with curiosity or hold them wide in surprise.

Folds and creases

Your eyelids have natural folds and creases that help keep your eyelids from bunching and wrinkling when you open and close them. You can have one or two folds, depending on a few different factors.

What are the different eye shapes?

The shape of your eyes depends on the structures of your eyelids and the areas surrounding your eyes. While there aren’t any official categories or types for eye shapes, there are specific terms for the structures (or the appearance of those structures) that contribute to your eye shape.

One key term is “palpebral fissure.” That’s the technical term for the separation of your eyelids that gives you an upper and lower lid on each eye. The palpebral fissure can be:

• Almond-shaped. This shape is common in babies. It usually goes away as tissues and bones in the face grow.
• Long. This refers to eyes with a longer horizontal distance from the inner to outer corner. When this is unusually long (the width requirement varies depending on age, sex and other factors), it can be a symptom of certain rare genetic mutations or conditions.
• Short. This is when the horizontal distance from your eye’s inner to outer corners is unusually short. The exact distance requirement also varies with age, similar to with long palpebral fissures. This can happen with certain genetic mutations and conditions like blepharophimosis syndrome.
• Downslanted or upslanted. This refers to the height of your eye’s inner and outer corners. If the outer corners of your eyes are higher on your face than the inner corners, that’s called “upslanted palpebral fissure.” If the outer corners are lower, that’s called “downslanted palpebral fissure."

Other features or traits that can affect eye shape include:

• Monolid eyes. This is when your eyelids have a single fold instead of two. It’s also known as an epicanthic or epicanthal fold. It’s common in people of Eastern Asian descent of all ages. Babies of other ethnicities can also have it, and it’ll gradually go away as their faces grow.
• Hooded eyes. This is when you have an unusual amount of eyelid or forehead skin overhanging your eyes.

What are the common conditions and disorders that affect your eyelids?

Many conditions can affect your eyelids. The type of condition varies widely, ranging from nerve and muscle conditions to skin-, eyelid- or eye-specific conditions. Your eyelids are also vulnerable to several types of injuries. Some people also have conditions that affect eyelid structure.

Nerve and muscle conditions

Conditions that can affect nerves and muscle control in your eyelids and surrounding areas include:

• Bell’s palsy.
• Blepharospasm and other forms of eye twitching.
• Droopy eyelid (ptosis).
• Hemiplegic migraines.
• Strokes and transient ischemic attacks (TIAs).

Skin conditions

Examples of skin conditions that can affect your eyelids include:

• Eyelid dermatitis.
• Eyelid psoriasis.
• Ocular rosacea.
• Skin tags (acrochordons).

Eye- and eyelid-specific conditions

Examples of eye- and eyelid-specific conditions include:

• Bumps near your eyelids like xanthelasmas.
• Bumps or cysts from blocked meibomian glands (chalazions).
• Bumps or swollen areas around eyelash follicles (styes and internal styes).
• Conjunctivitis (pink eye).
• Corneal diseases like keratitis.
• Eyelashes that turn inward (trichiasis).
• Eyelids that turn inward (entropion) or turn outward (ectropion).
• Floppy eyelid syndrome.
• Inflamed eyelids (blepharitis).
• Meibomian gland dysfunction.
• Infections of skin on your eyelid or around your eyes (orbital cellulitis).

Eyelid injuries

Examples of eyelid injuries include:

• Burns.
• Cuts (lacerations).
• Scrapes (abrasions).

Eyelid structure conditions

Some people may have conditions where their eyelid structures don’t develop correctly, causing them to have eyelid malformations at birth (those are called congenital malformations). Other people have eyelid structural issues because of injuries or medical conditions. And some conditions happen because your skin loses stretchiness (elasticity) and sags naturally as you age.

A few examples of eyelid structure conditions include:

• Cryptophthalmos. This condition comes from Latin words that mean “hidden eye.” People with this condition have eyelids that are fused together.
• Eyelid coloboma. These are small notches or gaps where the eyelid doesn’t develop correctly. The effect can look similar to the separation that happens with a cleft lip.
• Double eyelashes (distichiasis). Some people have eyelashes that form in more rows than expected. That can cause eyelashes that are too close to your eye surface, causing eye irritation and other issues.

What are some common signs and symptoms of eyelid-related conditions?

Like most of your face, the skin of your eyelids holds a huge number of nerve endings. That makes your eyelids particularly sensitive to pain. Other signs and symptoms of eyelid-related issues include:

• Drooping or sagging.
• Eyelashes falling out (madarosis).
• Eyelid skin color changes.
• Irritation or itching.
• Swelling.

Eyelid conditions can also affect your eye surface, especially eye moisture. Eye surface symptoms that can happen because of eyelid-related conditions include:

• Dry eye.
• Eye discharge or crusting.
• Eye irritation or burning.
• Eye pain.
• Watery eyes (epiphora).

Dangerous or emergency eyelid-related symptoms

A couple of eyelid-related symptoms can indicate brain or neurological problems. Those include any kind of one-sided muscle weakness (hemiparesis) or paralysis (hemiplegia) that affects one eyelid and/or side of your face.

One-sided symptoms like these are often symptoms of strokes. Having them yourself or seeing them in someone else means you should call 911 (or your local emergency services number) immediately.

What are some common tests that involve your eyelids?

Eye care specialists often look closely at your eyelids during routine eye exams. That can include measuring the way your eyelids move or react to certain changes, feeling your eyelids or looking at them with magnifying tools.

Other medical professionals — like primary care providers, dermatologists or plastic and reconstructive surgeons — may examine your eyelids during a routine skin check or exam. Neurologists may also closely check your eyelids to watch for signs of any muscle weakness there or in surrounding parts of your face.

What are some common treatments for eyelid-related symptoms and conditions?

The treatments for eyelid-related symptoms and conditions vary widely, mainly depending on the cause. Skin-related conditions like styes or chalazions may only need simple, home-remedy approaches like warm compresses. More serious conditions like infections may need medications like oral antibiotics, or injections like onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox®) for uncontrolled muscle movement conditions.

When conditions happen because skin and underlying tissue lose their stretchiness (elasticity) with age, causing them to droop or sag, surgery may be the best option. That may also be the case for other eyelid structure-related conditions.

Your eye care specialist or other healthcare provider can tell you more about the treatment they recommend for your specific situation and needs. They can also tell you more about the possible side effects or complications that are possible with those treatments.

What can I do to keep my eyelids healthy?

Your eyelids are a lot like your skin, in general. They benefit from things like:

• Proper nutrition. Your skin is especially dependent on certain vitamins and minerals. Making sure you get enough of those can help keep your eyelids (and your skin, in general) healthy.
• Sun protection. Your eyelids are vulnerable to sunburns just like skin elsewhere on your body. Proper sun protection, like sunscreen or sunglasses, can help.
• Quality sleep. Your eyelids are more likely to sag or look darker (especially under your eyes) when you aren’t getting enough quality sleep. And some conditions, like droopy eyelid syndrome, are more likely to happen when you have conditions like sleep apnea.
• Eye protection. When you use protective eyewear like goggles or safety glasses, you’re protecting your eyelids, too.

What’s the medical name for your eyelids?

The medical name for your eyelids is “palpebra.” That term comes from a Latin root word that means “to touch gently.” It’s the same root word connected to “palpate,” the term for how medical professionals feel a part of your body as part of a physical exam. In this case, “palpebra” refers to how your eyelids gently rest on and move across the surface of your eyes.

On what part of the eye are the eyelids located?

Your eyelids sit at the top and bottom of your eyes. When you have your eyes closed, your eyelids meet and seal right across the cornea, front and center on your eyeball. When open, your eyelids pull apart vertically, covering the upper and lower edges of the sclera, the white of your eye.

Can you see without eyelids?

Yes, people can see and live without eyelids. But not having eyelids can cause a number of issues that can make it harder to see or affect your eye health. In most cases, people with this issue may need lifelong medical care, support and specialized treatments to maintain their eye health. They also have a higher risk of infections, eye surface conditions and other issues.

A note from Cleveland Clinic

Your eyelids are more than just a covering. They’re a critical part of helping you see and maintaining your eye health. Most of the time, it’s easy to take them for granted, but when there’s an issue affecting them, it might feel hard to notice anything else. An eye care specialist will check your eyelids during regular eye exams, helping you stay on top of any changes that could be important.