Q: My droopy eyelids are bothering me? How do I decide if this is worth surgery?
A: While we do have one eye medication that is designed to elevate your upper eyelids, most patients with significant upper lid drooping eventually have a “blepharoplasty” procedure to surgically raise up the upper eyelids.
If you have not yet tried the eye medication, you should. It is a prescription eyedrop and many patients have enough “lid lift” to be satisfied. The surgical procedures are generally very safe and most people are pleased with the results. Essentially, some of the excess upper eyelid tissue is removed to elevate the lids. Most all of us develop some degree of this as we age.
A key point is to talk with your regular family eye doctor about your options. Patients typically ask us if the procedure is covered by medical insurance. The answer will depend upon your results with a simple in office test called automated perimetry, or visual field testing. This is used to measure the vertical or horizontal limits of your “field of vision”. If your upper eyelids are reducing or limiting your range of eyesight vertically by a significant degree, your medical insurance may consider the procedure a “medically necessary” surgery, and not merely a “cosmetic” procedure.
Typically, your Optometrist or Ophthalmologist can order tests in the office and interpret the findings. The test results are transmitted with a medical interpretation to your insurance company for their review and determination. Sometimes, we just send the test results with the patient for their consultation with an oculoplastic surgeon…..who will per from the procedure if you elect to proceed.
Really only one precaution with eyelid surgeries……sometimes the results are too exaggerated! This means your upper lids are raised up or tightened so much that your lids cannot close normally when you blink. In cases where complete normal eyelid closure is prevented with the surgical procedure, those patients can now have a new problem…….severe dry eyes. If your eyelids cannot close fully with each blink, they leave an exposed area on your eye surface that is not being re-moistened consistently. This exposed dry area can become very uncomfortable or even painful in time.
But again, the majority of patients who undergo eyelid surgeries are very happy with the results. And again, your family eye doc can likely best advise you about which oculoplastic surgeons have the best results and are not overly aggressive.