Is a drooping eyelid normal after trabeculectomy?

What's normal

A heavy or lower sitting upper eyelid after trabeculectomy is common enough that the American Academy of Ophthalmology lists ptosis, meaning droopy eyelid, among the recognized risks of the procedure. EyeWiki reports ptosis in about 12 percent of patients in the Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study, which used 5 fluorouracil.

Some of it is simple swelling and the eyelid speculum used to hold the eye open during surgery, and that kind settles over weeks. Some of it is the lid resting differently over the new bleb. Many people notice it most in photographs and less in daily life.

Often most noticeable in the first weeks from swelling, then slowly improves over months. A minority remains and can be addressed later.

When it stops being normal

Call if the droop is new and sudden rather than gradual, if it appears along with double vision or a headache, or if it comes with pain and redness of the eye.

A droop that has not improved after several months is worth raising at a regular visit. It is not an emergency, but it is a real complication with real fixes, and your surgeon may refer you to an oculoplastic specialist.