Eyelid surgery

Eyes and eyelids are characteristic of the face. It is not for nothing that in many cultures the eyes are regarded as the mirror of the soul. However, eyelids can require treatment for medical or age-related reasons. Specialists for eyelid surgery are usually specialists for ophthalmology and thus well trained to achieve the best results in eyelid surgery.

Eyelid surgery can be medically necessary, e.g. for tumors or eyelid malpositions. On the other hand, there is also a solely cosmetically motivated eyelid surgery, for example to smooth age-related wrinkles. It is important to note that medical eyelid surgery is carried out by public and private health insurance companies as a curative measure, while cosmetic surgery has to be paid for by the patient. An exception is the restoration of facial areas and eyelids after an accident.

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Eyelid surgery - Further information

What belongs to medical eyelid surgery?

Medically indicated surgeries on the eyelid are mainly due to serious injuries, tumor diseases, functional limitations of the eyelid or eyelid malposition.

Eyelid malposition

There are essentially three types of eyelid malpositions:

  • entropion (= inwardly turned eyelid),
  • ectropion (= outward turned eyelid) and
  • ptosis (= drooping upper eyelid).

Eyelid malpositions cause secondary diseases, such as reddened eyes, burning eyes and inflammations in the eye or in the area of the eyelid. Eyelid surgery tightens the affected eyelid and returns it to its natural shape. When the eyelid malposition is corrected, the consequences usually disappear.

Tumor treatment

Since the eyelids do not differ from the normal skin, tumors also often occur in the area of the eyelids, as they can appear everywhere on the human skin. Depending on the type and location of the tumor, the eyelid surgery specialist may have to perform a functional or cosmetic restoration after the removal of the tumor tissue.

Therapy of diseases of the lacrimal duct

After being diagnosed by the ophthalmologist or eyelid surgery specialist, the latter will either have to surgically dilate the affected lacrimal duct or, in some cases, have to open it in a so-called lacrimal duct operation.

What is a purely cosmetic eyelid surgery?

Purely cosmetic eyelid surgery means surgical interventions on the eyelid without there being a medical indication for them. This usually involves the correction of age-related eyelid changes, which can be improved surgically or partially by injecting the skin with hyaluronic acid or Botox.

Upper eyelid lifting (blepharoplasty)

Due to their age, many people experience what is known as sagging of the upper eyelids. The upper eyelid hangs down and thus narrows the field of vision of the eye. Due to the reduced incidence of light into the eye, upper lid sagging can also promote chronic fatigue and exhaustion. The eyelid surgery specialist will surgically remove the excess skin on the upper lid as well as small fat deposits and thus tighten the eyelid. In specialized eye clinics, which routinely offer eyelid correction, the procedure can be performed on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia.

Wrinkle correction

For the correction of small wrinkles in the eyelids, it is usually not necessary to resort to eyelid surgery. Here the injection of Botox or hyaluronic acid is already very effective. However, the disadvantage is that the effect of the injections is limited in time and therefore requires therapy sessions at regular intervals.

How do you recognise a specialist for eyelid surgery?

Specialists in eyelid surgery are ophthalmologists, who should generally have at least ten years of surgical experience in the field of eyelid surgery. When selecting a clinic for eyelid surgery, make sure that the surgeons regularly perform such procedures on the eyelid as part of their routine procedures. Especially in surgery, the old saying "Experience makes perfect" really applies.

References

  • Zur Therapie von Erkrankungen des Tränenganges: https://www.dog.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/StellungnahmeTW-Erkrankungen.pdf
  • Zur Blepharoplastik (Oberlidstraffung): https://www.dog.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Stellungnahme-Blepharoplastik-2015-09-23.pdf
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