Asymmetry of the palpebral fissure and upper eyelid crease in Koreans

SummaryThe purpose of the present study was to quantify the asymmetry of the palpebral fissure (PF) and upper eyelid crease in normal Koreans. Photographs were taken of 273 males and 321 females aged from 20 to 49 years with a standard head position and eyes open. We investigated the presence of asymmetries of the PF inclination (PFI), PF height (PFH), PF width (PFW) and the upper eyelid crease. The criteria for asymmetry were 2° for PFI, 1 mm for PFH and 3 mm for PFW. The PFH was larger on the right side than on the left side, whereas the PFW was larger on the left than on the right. The prevalence of asymmetry of the PFI, PFH and PFW was 22.3%, 24.2% and 18.3% in males, and 35.8%, 26.5% and 18.7% in females, respectively. In most cases of PF asymmetry, the PFH was larger on the right and the PFW was larger on the left. A left-only upper eyelid crease was more common than a right-only upper eyelid crease in both sexes. The asymmetry of the PF was generally more common in females.