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Eyelid Surgery Can Improve Sight – Not Just Looks

When you hear “eyelid surgery,” you may think, “cosmetic surgery.”

But eyelid surgery, also known as blepharoplasty, can do more than improve your appearance. It can actually help you see better.

The surgery can be for the upper eyelids, lower eyelids, or both.  

Eyelid surgery can become a necessity to improve vision when your eyelid becomes droopy enough that it starts getting in the way of your line of vision.

In addition to improving your vision, eyelid surgery can treat:

• Bags under the eyes 
• Drooping lower eyelids that reveal the white of the eye below the iris 
• Excess skin and wrinkles on the lower lids 
• Fatty deposits that appear as puffiness in the eyelids 
• Loose, sagging skin that creates folds that distort the natural contour of the upper eyelid 

The majority of recovery after eyelid surgery occurs in the first two weeks after surgery. By about a month after surgery, 80 percent of the swelling will likely be gone. The remaining 20 percent of swelling will go down over time.

Eyelid surgery usually involves little pain, but it can cause redness, swelling, bruising, irritation, and dry eyes. In some cases after surgery, your eyes may be loosely covered with gauze.

To aid in your recovery, follow your doctor’s after-surgery instructions. Your doctor may advise you to use a lubricating ointment, apply cold compresses, and try to keep your head elevated. Your doctor may also prescribe medications to apply or take by mouth to aid in healing and help prevent infection.

Your doctor also will advise you to practice sun protection, including wearing darkly tinted sunglasses until the healing process is complete.

And after you’re healed, ongoing sun protection will help maintain the results of your surgery.

Source: American Society of Plastic Surgeons