Changes in lower eyelid resting position, movement, and tone with age.

In a study of lower eyelid movement, resting position, and tone in 185 normal white patients ranging in age from 15 to 89 years, the mean vertical eyelid excursion from downgaze to upgaze was 5.29 mm. There was, however, a decrease in vertical eyelid movement with age of 0.05 mm/yr. The mean horizontal lower eyelid excursion with eyelid closure or gentle blink was 3.3 mm and horizontal eyelid movement decreased 0.015 mm/yr. The decrease in vertical and horizontal eyelid movement with aging was closely correlated with the increase in eyelid laxity in elderly patients (P less than .001). The lower eyelids of elderly patients rested against the globe at a position inferior to that of younger patients, a finding that correlated with increased eyelid laxity (P less than .001).