Blepharoplasty, Eyelid Ptosis, and Brow Lifting Surgery
February 8, 2010 by DJ Verret, MD
Filed under Medicine
Drooping eyebrows and eyelids are a natural part of aging for most people. These changes can occur at any point in time and in some patients can become so bad that it interferes with vision. Unfortunately this vision interference can cause difficulty reading, driving a car, and even result in accidents. If you think that your vision is being adversely effected by eyelid aging, consider visiting an optometrist or ophthalmologist for evaluation.
To determine if periorbital rejuvenation will help vision problems, a visual field test must be undertaken. In a visual field test, patients are asked to look into a machine which flashes lights in different aspects of the vision. Patients must click a button when they see the lights. The eyelids and eyebrows are then taped in a superior position and the test is repeated. If vision loss is corrected with the taping, surgery may be beneficial.
There are many different surgeries which can be undertaken for problems with vision due to eyelid droop, eyebrow droop, or excess upper eyelid skin. The first step is to determine what the cause of the problem seeing is. If eyebrow repositioning is needed, there are many possibilities for repair. A direct excision of excess brow skin, endoscopic brow lift, or a pretrichial brow lift can be undertaken to help lift the brow to a more natural position.
If the problem is in the eyelids, eyelid surgery may be in order. The surgery can be aimed at decreasing excess skin or actually raising the eyelids or a combination of both. While the exact techniques may changes, the surgery itself can safely be performed with local anesthesia and possibly a bit of light sedation.
Insurance reimbursement, including from Medicare, is possible for procedures which improve a patient’s vision due to droopy eyelids and eyebrows. Consultation with an oculoplastic surgeon, facial plastic surgeon, optometrist, or ophthalmologist is the first step.
Dr. Verret is a facial plastic surgeon in the north Dallas suburb of Plano, Texas. For more information about endoscopic brow lift Dallas or visual field defect visit his web site or call for a consultation 972.608.0100.
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