Question: I have severe dry eye and have been told that having an eyelid lift might not be safe for me. What are the risks of this procedure for someone with my condition?
Answer: That is correct. In cosmetic plastic surgery, you do not want to compromise function for aesthetics. A good looking eye that is severely dry is no good. Corneal ulcerations and serious damage may result even if you can bare the pain and burning and itching sensations of “dry eyes.” If you have severe dry eyes then cosmetic eyelid blepharoplasty should be avoided. However, some patients have lower lid lag and sclera show where too much of the white part of the eyes are visible. This can make dry eyes worse or cause dry eyes. In such cases, a canthoplasty and lid shortening procedure may actually help your dry eyes and a conservative upper lid skin excision may be OK then. I have done eyelid lift on patients using Restasis or those who have had eyelid plugs for dry eyes, but we always coordinate closely with their eye doctors and stay very conservative or we try to talk the patients out of the eyelid lift altogether.
