What You Need to Know About Blepharoplasty

Blepharoplasty is a type of surgery aimed at fixing drooping eyelids. This condition is caused either by excessive fat, excessive muscle around the skin, or too much skin. It’s normal for your eyelids to stretch as you age.

As a result, excessive fat might collect below or above your eyelids, making them sag. If this appearance bothers you, we recommend visiting the optometrist in Glendale, CA, where the best blepharoplasty surgeon is ready to repair your drooping eyelids in an all-inclusive procedure.

Who Needs a Cosmetic Eyelid Surgery?

Blepharoplasty might be an option if your droopy or slack eyelids are an issue to your eyesight. Saggy upper eyelids can substantially hinder your vision. In that case, you need an upper eye blepharoplasty; and a subsequent procedure if it’s the lower eyelids.

To sum it up, you need an eyelid surgery if you have:

• Excess lower eyelids skin
• Bags beneath the eyes
• Too much stretchy skin on the upper eyelids (hindering vision)

What Are the Risks

Possible risks of lower or upper eyelid blepharoplasty include:

• Irritated, dry eyes
• Noticeable scarring
• Infection and bleeding
• Eye muscle injury
• Skin discoloration
• Several eyelid problems, including difficulty in closing your eyes
• Need for a consequent surgery
• Impermanent blurred vision. In rare cases, loss of eyesight
• General surgery-associated risks like blood clots and anesthesia reactions

You are in a better position in deciding if this is the right procedure for you by weighing between risks and benefits involved. Glendale Eye Medical Group recommends talking to your surgeon about how the risks relate to you beforehand.

Preparation

Before you agree to a blepharoplasty procedure, there’s need to discuss the following matters with an eye specialist:

• Medical History: You need to disclose information about other previous surgeries if any. The ophthalmologist (eye specialist) needs info about previous disorders like dry eyes, diabetes, glaucoma, allergies, thyroid problems, and circulatory conditions.
• Your Expectations: How comfortable you are with the surgery gives your eye surgeon an idea of how to handle you as a patient. Furthermore, you get better results if you discuss your preferences with the surgeon.

You’ll undergo the preparation procedures below before your surgery.

• Physical Examination – Includes measuring your eyelid dimensions and tear production levels.
• Vision Examination – Your vision, including the peripheral vision, is tested. It’s essential in backing up an insurance claim.
• Eyelid Photography – You will have the eyelid doctor shoot your eyelids from various angles. On top of backing an insurance claim, with these photos, your eyelid surgeon will plan the surgery better and can determine the immediate and lasting effects.

Your eyelid surgeon will request that you:

• Quit smoking a couple of weeks before the surgery. Tobacco reduces healing ability after the surgery.
• Stop taking certain medications and herbal supplements that increase bleeding. You should consult with your doctor about the duration of quitting these medications before the surgery. Only take medicine prescribed by your surgeon.
• Arrange for a friend or relative to drive you after and before the surgery; that is if you are an outpatient. Spend the first night with someone after the surgery.

Expectations

Before The Surgery

Blepharoplasty is mostly an outpatient setting. Numbing anesthesia is administered in advance, alongside intravenous medication to help you relax during the surgery.

During the Surgery

If you have issues with both upper and lower eyelids, your surgeon will work on the upper lids first. He/she works along the eyelid fold and cuts out any excess skin, fat or muscle, and then closes the cut.
For the lower lid, a cut is made just under your lashes or inside the eyelid. He/she then removes excess skin or muscle or redistributes any excess fat then seals the cut.

If the upper eyelid droop is too close to the pupil, a procedure named Ptosis (TOE-sis) is performed. It provides extra support to your eyebrow muscle for a stronger upper eyelid.

After The Surgery

After the procedure, your optometrist monitors you for any complications from a recovery room. You can spend a few hours here until you are comfortable to go home.

Temporary effects include:

• Watery Eyes
• Blurred vision caused by lubricating ointment
• Light Sensitivity
• Double Vision
• Numb or Puffy eyelids
• Pain and discomfort
• Swelling and bruising like you have a black eye

Immediate medical attention is needed if you experience any of the following:

• Chest pains
• Difficulty in Breathing
• Bleeding
• Vision Problems
• Strange severe eye pain
• Strange heart rate

Helpful Tips

• Avoid Smoking
• Don’t Rub your eyes whatsoever
• Restrain from strenuous activities like jogging and home workouts for a week
• Don’t use your contact lenses for about two weeks after surgery
• Don’t strain your eyes like in long watching hours or exposure to intense sunlight
• Sleep face up, higher than the chest for several days
• Use prescribed ointments and drops to clean the eyelids softly