HOW DO I KNOW I WILL BENEFIT? 

As a patient, being told you're eligible for a surgical procedure may raise a handful of questions. Often, the long recovery times and uncertainty of immediate results are enough to steer patients away from what would've been a life-changing procedure. Fortunately, however, some tests can be performed to determine how much a patient would benefit from a prospective Oculoplastic procedure. 

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Ectropion and Entropion are generally able to be recognized by the suffering patient due to building discomfort and the improper drainage of tears. However, these can also be detected by eyecare providers at yearly checkup appointments. If left untreated, either disease may lead to severe irritation, dry eye, or in the worst case, vision loss. Fortunately, all of these symptoms can be avoided altogether by staying on schedule for yearly checkups, and scheduling additional visits when symptoms intensify.  

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While the patient usually recognizes Ectropion and Entropion due to discomfort or changes in appearance, eyelid sagging can be harder to recognize in mild end cases. Patients who attend yearly eyesight checkups are subject to a vision test where they read the letters on the vision chart. If the Optometrist or Ophthalmologist conducting the test notices the patient's eyelids obstructing their visual field, the doctor may request the patient take an in-clinic Superior 36 Ptosis Visual Field test. This is where the patient concentrates on a focal point in a bowl-shaped machine and clicks an indicator when they notice a flash of light somewhere within the bowl. The technician then tapes the patient's eyelids up to increase their field of vision, and the test is repeated once more. If the patient can recognize 33% more flashes of light with their eyelids taped, they are a suitable candidate for a Blepharoplasty. 

 

Upon being diagnosed with an eyelid disease, patients should schedule an appointment with an Oculoplastic Ophthalmologist for further instruction. If undergoing surgery is recommended by your Oculoplastic Ophthalmologist. If you are wondering whether a procedure is right for you, it's safe to say the answer is yes if it was recommended by an Oculoplastic Ophthalmologist. On average, Blepharoplasties have increased patients' visual fields by 26.2% with the majority experiencing an increase of over 33%. Regaining this vision opens countless doors for a patient of any age, as it increases the accessibility of everyday life including work, school, and hobbies. In addition to this, cosmetic blepharoplasties have a patient satisfaction rate of about 93.5%. Patients from this selection reported higher self-esteem post-operation as opposed to prior. For this reason, all eligible patients who are on the fence about undergoing oculoplastic surgery should strongly consider their potentially life-changing procedure. 

 

For more information on the benefits of Oculoplastic Surgery, please visit my works cited page.