Treatment of symptomatic epiblepharon with Botulinum toxin type A in patients under 2years of age

Abstract

Introduction: Epiblepharon is a congenital eyelid malposition due to a horizontal skin fold and a redundant orbicular muscle, resulting in the inward positioning of the eyelashes.

Objective: Personal experience is presented of the non-surgical correction of symptomatic epiblepharon using a pretarsal injection of 5 IU of botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) into the orbicular muscle.

Material and methods: Patients with epiblepharon younger than 2 year were included in the study. A review was made of their clinical charts and the symptoms and signs of epiblepharon were evaluated before and after treatment with BoNT-A.

Results: A total of 40 patients were included (28 girls [70%]). The mean age at treatment was 11 months (range, 4-24 months). A total of 76 eyelids were treated with BoNT-A. A statistically significant improvement in symptoms, lash-corneal touch, and punctate corneal epitheliopathy were reported after the treatment with 5IU BoNT-A. The mean final follow-up was 25.5 weeks (range, 4-92 months).

Conclusions: The present study provides evidence that a pretarsal BoNT-A injection is an effective and safe treatment for the correction of symptomatic epiblepharon in patients younger than 2 years of age.

Keywords: Botulinum toxin type A; Congenital eyelid malpositions; Epiblefaron; Epiblepharon; Malposición palpebral congénita; Non-surgical treatment; Toxina botulínica tipo A; Tratamiento no quirúrgico.