ECTROPION

sagging of the lower eyelid away from the eyeball. The condition sometimes is present in elderly persons as a result of relaxation of the lid's supporting structures. With the sagging of the lid, the opening into the channel that carries tears from the eye into the nasal cavity is also moved away from the eyeball; as a result, tears fail to drain properly, and chronic conjunctivitisinflammation of the mucous membrane lining the lids and covering part of the eyeballmay develop. Compare entropion.