Re: epicanthal folds?

[Guest guest]

leanne30nz wrote:

> Just wanted to know exactly what the epicanthal folds are?...its all

> so confusing...is it the wide bridge between the eyes? if not is

> there a word for that also? we have seen the specialist 2 times, and

> you kinda forget what each word goes with!...thanks:)

There are four conditions usually associated with BPEI...

The canthus is the corner where the two eyelids meet. The medial canthus

is the 'inner' corner. The epicanthus is the area around that. The

epicanthal folds are therefore the folds of skin at the corners of the

eyes. (A simple Google search would have found many explanations of this

for you.) Normally, the upper lid's folds of skin at the epicanthi goes

'over' the lower lid. In BPEI, where we have epicanthus inversus (the

'EI' in 'BPEI'), the lower lid's fold of skin at the canthi overlaps the

upper lid.

The wider distance between the medial canthi, which you described and

asked about, is called telecanthus.

Blepharophimosis (the 'BP' in 'BPEI') refers to the small eye openings

(mainly due to the telecanthus, but exacerbated by ptosis).

The 4th condition usually present with BPEI is ptosis (drooping eyelids).

I've found that having - and using - a good medical dictionary (whether

paper or online) is essential in coming to grips with BPEI and

understanding what doctors and journal articles are rabbiting on about.

And don't forget that Google is one's friend in this regard too.

Please memorise all of the above, there'll be an exam tomorrow. (Just

kidding)

Rob

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the very detailed message:) you sound like a Dr:), tell you what though, I don't think I could memorize all that!...guess I'd fail the exam:)...I have recieved one of your e-mails I think, you said, you and your son have this, how old is your son?...have either of you had surgery yet?...do you have some pics? if so would love to see them...before and afters would be terrific:)...thanks again rob...leanne & family.

Re: blepharophimosis epicanthal folds?

leanne30nz wrote:> Just wanted to know exactly what the epicanthal folds are?...its all > so confusing...is it the wide bridge between the eyes? if not is > there a word for that also? we have seen the specialist 2 times, and > you kinda forget what each word goes with!...thanks:)There are four conditions usually associated with BPEI...The canthus is the corner where the two eyelids meet. The medial canthus is the 'inner' corner. The epicanthus is the area around that. The epicanthal folds are therefore the folds of skin at the corners of the eyes. (A simple Google search would have found many explanations of this for you.) Normally, the upper lid's folds of skin at the epicanthi goes 'over' the lower lid. In BPEI, where we have epicanthus inversus (the 'EI' in 'BPEI'), the lower lid's fold of skin at the canthi overlaps the upper lid.The wider distance between the medial canthi, which you described and asked about, is called telecanthus.Blepharophimosis (the 'BP' in 'BPEI') refers to the small eye openings (mainly due to the telecanthus, but exacerbated by ptosis).The 4th condition usually present with BPEI is ptosis (drooping eyelids).I've found that having - and using - a good medical dictionary (whether paper or online) is essential in coming to grips with BPEI and understanding what doctors and journal articles are rabbiting on about. And don't forget that Google is one's friend in this regard too.Please memorise all of the above, there'll be an exam tomorrow. (Just kidding)Rob

[Guest guest]

tltne wrote:

>Thanks for the very detailed message:) you sound like a Dr:), tell you what

though, I don't think I could memorize all that!...guess I'd fail the exam:)

>

Sounding like a doctor can help a bit, when doing battle with medical

professionals (i.e., doctors). It appears to freak them out when I, a

mere lay person, can use the same technical terms they do. They are also

then inclined to provide more information since they think (ha!) I'll

understand them, and they drop some of their facade and arrogance

(sometimes). The terms aren't so scary when you break them into their

Greek and Latin bases ('blepharo-' meaning eyelid-ish, '-phimosis'

meaning constriction, etc) - but they're in my medical dictionary so

that's not too hard..

The first time I ever saw those terms was when I finally asked my eye

surgeon, at the age of 27, " What have I got? What's it called? " He wrote

them on a piece of paper for me and I went away and looked them up - no

Internet in those days, so not easy. My surgery was long ago over by

then, so it didn't matter much anyway, but when I had a son who needed

some surgery done, it became well worthwhile to learn as much possible

about the whole field.

>...I have recieved one of your e-mails I think, you said, you and your son have

this, how old is your son?...have either of you had surgery yet?...do you have

some pics? if so would love to see them...before and afters would be

terrific:)...thanks again rob...leanne & family.

>

>

My son is now 11, and has a very mild dose of BPEI. Barely noticeable in

terms of the usual symptoms of the condition, so no corrective surgery

was necessary for them. He even has 20/20 vision, so spectacles either.

But he does have some trouble from some of the minor symptoms of the

condition, namely a very thin lower eyelid and very fine, sparse - and

disorderly - lower lashes. The lower lid and some of its lashes pointed

inwards a bit, causing corneal irritation and ulceration from the lashes

scratching the cornea. So he had an operation or two when he was 6 and 7

years old to turn the lid (just one was causing problems) outwards

slightly. Now all is well and should remain so. His main problem was

being born with a congenital hiatus hernia (which we've since found out

can occur, rarely, with BPEI) which required a Nissen fundoplication

operation (another impressive medical term to throw around) when he was

5 months old.

On the other hand, I had a very severe case of BPEI and have had the

full set of surgeries - and more. Fascia lata slings (for the ptosis),

Z-plasty (for the epicanthus inversus), " jumping man " operation (for the

telecanthus), etc. And quite a few 'squint' correction operations to

align my eyes. I have 'floaters' (fancy name: muscae volitantes, if one

wants to impress) in my vision (not correctable) too. In Australia in

the early '60s, there was no-one who could effectively fix BPEI, until

one particular surgeon returned from studying it in Britain and was able

to fix me up. So I had some ineffective 'fiddling' surgery from 18

months of age for a while, but the real action happened from about the

age of 6 through 8 or 9. Then some tidying-up in later years (e.g. I had

a tear-duct moved 3 times, after some of the other surgery left it in an

ineffective place), finishing when I was 24. I'm still stuck with

strabismus, so I only focus with one eye at a time (3D vision - what's

that?).

I don't have a digital camera or a scanner, so I can't provide any

photos at this time, sorry. Maybe one day (if I ever work again), but

only 'after' even then.

Rob