Anthropometric analysis of the eyeball exposure area in Koreans

BACKGROUND: Eyelids vary in morphology and structure depending on age, sex, and race. Usually, one-dimensional measurements are used to evaluate blepharoplasty outcomes. However, in recent years, three- or four- directional enlargements of the eyelid have been used for blepharoplasty in Asian patients, and the outcomes of techniques such as lateral canthoplasty or canthotomy and medial epicanthoplasty with increased scleral area cannot be analyzed using marginal reflex distance 1 or the area of corneal exposure. Therefore, we describe the use of a measurement method based on the eyeball exposure area (EEA). METHODS: To obtain normal EEA values by age and sex, 320 individuals were recruited. The participants were divided into eight age groups (n=40 in each group: female subjects, n=20; male subjects, n=20): 10–19, 20–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, 60–69, 70–79, and 80–89 years. The EEA value was obtained by dividing the exposed area by the total eyeball area. The normal EEA values and differences in EEA according to age and sex were calculated. RESULTS: The mean EEA values for male and female subjects were 66.86% ±9.20% and 71.48%±10.48%, respectively. In each age group, the EEA values of females were higher than those of males. EEA decreased significantly with age in both male and female subjects (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We determined normal EEA values according to age and sex. EEA can be used as an indicator of the outcome of blepharoplasty.