Objective To introduce a surgical technique to prevent lower eyelid retraction after inferior rectus recession in patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy. Methods Twenty-four strabismic patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy， who had undergone inferior rectus recession， were retrospectively analyzed. Eighteen patients were males and 6 were females， with ages ranging from 28 to 66 years （mean 47.8 ±10.7 years）. After inferior rectus recession with dissection along the muscle as far as or more than 20 mm from its insertion， the fibers of the capsulopalpebral head （CPH） were isolated and reattached to the insertion point of the inferior rectus. Results The inferior rectus muscle recession ranged from 2.5 mm to 8.0 mm （mean 5.31±1.16 mm）. Five patients showed a slight lower eyelid retraction after surgery. Two patients had a little inferior scleral visible with no change in the size of the eyelid. No patients demonstrated other lower eyelid changes. The surgical management did not affect the results of the strabismus correction. Conclusion When the inferior rectus muscle is sufficiently dissected from the lower eyelid with CPH isolation and reattached to the insertion point of the inferior rectus， it can effectively prevent lower eyelid retraction after inferior rectus muscle recession in patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy.