By the time Richard was in her 50s, she had to do the same thing. Her upper field of vision was so limited, it seemed to her as if she were wearing a visor. She constantly tried to open her eyes wider by raising her eyebrows, which gave her a startled expression. At times, she even would hold her eyelids open with her fingers to try and see better. The problem was worst in the evening when her muscles were most tired. She could not watch television without tilting her head back, and she would be bothered by streaks of light as her eyelashes got in the way of her vision.

“It´s frustrating having your eyes half closed all the time. You can´t see properly. Then, when you look in the mirror, it looks awful. You look sleepy,’ Richard said.  

Five years ago, Richard had eyelid surgery performed by a local ophthalmologist. Her vision was better at first, but after a few years, the eyelids drooped even worse than before. Looking for help, she was referred to Amjad Ahmad, M.D., at Loyola University Health System.

Ahmad is an ophthalmologist with specialized skills in eyelid surgery. He completed a two-year fellowship training program in oculoplastics and orbital surgery, which means he is an expert at performing surgical procedures on the eye socket, eyelids, tear ducts and face.

Some of the surgical procedures Ahmad performs, such as eyelifts, face lifts and brow lifts, also are done by plastic surgeons, but ophthalmologists trained in oculoplastics also can treat diseases of the eye and perform specialized reconstruction around the eye that plastic surgeons do not do. For example, Ahmad reconstructs eyelids after cancer surgery, corrects the bulging eyes caused by Graves´ disease by moving them farther back in the skull and adjusts muscles that control the eyelids – as was needed in Richard´s case.

Richard´s condition is known as oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy. It is a rare hereditary disease that affects about one person in 100,000 in the general population, but is much more common among families of French-Canadian background like Richard´s. Symptoms usually begin to appear when the person is in his or her 50s. After that, the disease progresses slowly, affecting the muscles of the eyelid and, eventually, the swallowing muscles and, in extreme cases, even muscles in the upper body.  

Last August, Ahmad corrected Richard´s drooping eyelids by significantly shortening the muscles that control her eyelids. Richard went home the same day and was back to her daily routine within a week.

“The eyes healed rapidly, and you can´t see any scarring,’ Richard said. “Right away I noticed a change in my vision. My eyes were open for the first time in a long time. I really appreciate being able to see without hindrance. Dr. Ahmad is wonderful. He was very honest with me before the procedure about what I could expect.’

A retired French teacher, Richard now can enjoy life and her favorite hobbies – sewing, cross-stitch and travel – with eyes wide open.

To make an appointment with Ahmad or another ophthalmologist at Loyola University Health System, call (708) 216-8563.

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