Results of surgical correction of lagophthalmos (Gillies Technique) in leprosy patients 1

Abstract

The results of the temporal muscle transfer (Mlles technique) in 51 eyes (34 patients) have been analysed. The main objective was to evaluate the degree and time needed to recover voluntary occlusion and the static effect of the transfer on the lower eyelid in cases of partial ectropium and epiphora. In 34 (66,67%) eyes there was complete and lasting voluntary eyelid occlusion. The medians of time to obtain complete eyelid closure while biting were 8 days (1-120) in the excellent group and 14 days (1-120) in the good group. The correction of ectropium and epiphora was seen in 15 (83,33%) eyes. The recovery of voluntary eyelid closure and repositioning of lower eyelid observed in the majority of our cases confirm the  effectiveness of the Gillies technique for correction of lagophthalmos.