# Entropion (inward-turning eyelid)

- Category: chronic
- Review status: reviewed (every claim checked against a document named on this page)
- Sources: Entropion - StatPearls (NCBI Bookshelf NBK470352) - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470352/ · ICPC-3 (WONCA International Classification of Primary Care, 3rd edition) class FD99.01 - condition scope only, no dose · No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care
- Verified date: 2026-08

## Verified against

- No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care

## Treatment metadata

- No drug therapy in primary care (Referral & Advice)

## Complete treatment card

```text
ENTROPION (INWARD-TURNING EYELID)
Sources: Entropion - StatPearls (NCBI Bookshelf NBK470352) -
         https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470352/ · ICPC-3 (WONCA International Classification
         of Primary Care, 3rd edition) class FD99.01 - condition scope only, no dose · No dose -
         referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care
Review status: REVIEWED against the source listed above  (2026-08)

IS IT THIS? - reference only, to read alongside your own examination
  SYMPTOMS - what the patient reports (1)
    - Patients may report eye redness, pain, sensitivity to light and wind, watering, irritation,
      and reduced vision  [blurred vision · eye redness · flatulence · photophobia]
  SIGNS - what you find (7)
    - A poor snapback - the lid failing to return to the globe without the patient blinking it back
      - supports involutional entropion
    - A distraction test result over 6 mm is considered abnormal
    - A white subconjunctival line below the tarsal border points to detached lower-lid retractors
    - Reverse ptosis - the lower lid margin sitting higher than normal - suggests retractor
      disinsertion  [ptosis]
    - Reduced downward excursion of the lower lid on downgaze indicates retractor disinsertion
    - Cicatricial entropion shows conjunctival scar tissue, and the lid is hard to evert, unlike
      involutional entropion where eversion is easy  [scarring]
    - Spastic entropion typically follows ocular irritation, inflammation, or eye surgery
      [spasticity]
  TESTS (3)
    - Entropion is usually a clinical diagnosis with no laboratory testing needed
    - Cicatricial entropion warrants an infection or autoimmune workup before treatment
    - Exophthalmometry can check for relative enophthalmos in involutional entropion
  IF NOT THIS - what else fits (4)
    - Epiblepharon
    - Trichiasis
    - Trachoma
    - Distichiasis
  Source  StatPearls "Entropion" - disease-level clinical article
  Status  traced to the source above

1. NO DRUG THERAPY IN PRIMARY CARE (REFERRAL & ADVICE)    [1st line]
   Adult    Inward turning of the eyelid margin causing lashes to rub the eye surface, most often
            age-related. A GP can offer lubricant drops for comfort and corneal protection while
            referring for definitive surgical correction. - Refer, with advice
   Peds     Children follow the same pathway: recognise and refer. No primary-care medicine is
            implied.
   Source   No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care
   Why      Inward turning of the eyelid margin causing lashes to rub the eye surface, most often
            age-related. A GP can offer lubricant drops for comfort and corneal protection while
            referring for definitive surgical correction.
   Caution  No medicine is prescribed for this in primary care - this entry is for recognition and
            referral. Anything given is decided by the service it is referred to.
            RED FLAG - Corneal abrasion or ulceration from inturned lashes, or eye pain with
            photophobia: refer urgently.

Prices are indicative (dataset snapshot 2026-06); verify with the pharmacy.
```

---

Dawaa Reference is a reference for prescribers, not a medical device, and does not replace clinical judgement.

[Privacy policy](/privacy)