A Surgical Procedure to Minimize Lower-Eyelid Retraction With Inferior Rectus Recession

Advancement of the capsulopalpebral head at the time of inferior rectus recession has been described as a technique to minimize postoperative lower-eyelid retraction. In a prospective randomized masked clinical trial, this technique combined with inferior rectus recession was compared with inferior rectus recession alone, with respect to post-operative lower-eyelid retraction. The mean (+/- SD) postoperative lower-eyelid retraction was 0.7 +/- .82 mm for patients in whom the capsulopalpebral head was advanced, as opposed to 1.3 +/- .85 mm for the control group. This difference was statistically significant (Student's t = 2.787; P = .006).