Most faces are a little uneven, and that is completely normal. But if one eye has started to look smaller, a two-minute test with your phone camera can tell you more. She came in with her phone already open. A photo from her sister's wedding, the whole family lined up and smiling, and in it, she said, her left eye looked smaller than her right. She had spent the week zooming in on it. The lighting? The angle? A bad night's sleep? She was in her thirties, perfectly well, and nothing about her face felt different to her. It only looked different in pictures. If you have had a version of this moment, this is the right read for you.Everyone's face is uneven Almost nobody has two matching sides. One eyebrow sits higher, one cheek is fuller, one eye opens a little wider. We are used to mirrors, where the image is flipped, so a photograph, which shows us the way everyone else sees us, can feel jarring. Most of what you notice was always there. When it is the eyelid, not the face Sometimes, the difference is not in the face at all. It is the upper eyelid sitting lower than it used to. The eyelid is lifted by a small muscle running along the back of it. Over the years that muscle can stretch and loosen, and the eyelid comes to rest further down over the eye. The eye has not changed size. It is simply being covered more. Just like a drape over a window. The medical name for this is ptosis, and it is one of the commonest things we, as Oculoplasty Surgeons treat. It often shows on one side first, which is exactly why people spot it in photographs rather than in the mirror.The two-minute selfie test, in five steps A phone camera works well for this. Follow these simple steps to know more. 1. Take off all eye make-up. Kajal, liner and mascara shift where the lash line appears to sit. 2. Stand against a good light-source or a bright window opposite you. Light from one side throws a shadow that can fake a droop. 3. Hold the phone at eye level, about an arm's length away. 4. Look into the lens with your face relaxed. Do not raise your eyebrows or widen your eyes, because that lifts the lid and hides what you are checking for. 5. Take the photo and zoom in. Compare the two upper lash lines. Is one sitting lower than the other? Is more of the coloured part of the eye covered on one side? Clearly different levels are worth an opinion. If the lash lines look level and the difference is really in your brow or cheek, it could be an ordinary asymmetry.But isn't that a lazy eye? A lazy eye is about vision: the eye does not see as sharply, usually dating back to childhood. A droopy eyelid is about position: the eye may or may not see perfectly well, but the lid just sits lower. A heavily drooping lid in a small child can get in the way of developing vision, which is why children are checked early. Things that will not change it Eye creams, caffeine serums, eyelid exercises, taping. None of them lift an eyelid. They work on skin and puffiness, a different layer altogether. Nothing off a shelf reaches the muscle underneath. When to visit an Oculoplasty SpecialistIf the change has been slow, over years, there is no emergency, but it is worth an opinion, because a drooping lid can quietly trim the top of your field of vision before you notice. If an eyelid drops suddenly, sags more as the day goes on, or arrives with double vision or a bad headache, do not wait it out. Seek medical care immediately. Where the lid does need lifting, it is a short day care procedure under local anaesthesia that tightens the muscle and brings it back to its proper height. But the examination comes first, and a careful one is what separates a result you are happy with from one you are not. Author biography Dr. Sumer Doctor, MS, FLVPEI is an oculoplastic surgeon in Mumbai, specialising in cosmetic and functional eyelid, tear duct and orbital surgery. He completed his fellowship in Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery and Ocular Oncology at the L.V. Prasad Eye Institute, where he served as chief clinical fellow. He has multiple PubMed-indexed publications and represents India on the executive council of Young-APSOPRS, the Asia-Pacific Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Where: Doctor Eye Institute, 3rd floor, Landmark Building, Doctor Eye Institute, OPD No. 2, near Oshiwara Metro Station, Andheri West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400053 Website: drsumerdoctor.com Call/Whatsapp:+919391521982Instagram: eyelid_doc Email: sumerdr@gmail.com