EYELID SURGERY
OVERVIEW | EVALUATION | TREATMENT

Overview
Dr. Yang performs upper eyelid surgeries, called functional blepharoplasties. These are surgeries of the upper eyelid that help to improve the patient’s vision and decrease eye strain as the primary goal. They include removal of excessive upper eyelid skin and repair of droopy upper eyelids, and are covered by most insurance companies if the conditions and symptoms are bad enough.
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Evaluation
In order to determine how significant an upper eyelid is affecting a patient’s vision, several steps need to be taken, beginning with a complete eye exam. Measurements are taken to determine how much excessive skin exists and how droopy the eyelids are.

A “ptosis visual field” test is then done to quantitatively document how much of the vision is blocked by the excessive skin or droopy eyelids. In an ideal situation, taping the eyelids up and out of the way should improve the results of the visual field test significantly, implying that surgery would do the same.

Photos are also taken, documenting and demonstrating the severity of the excessive skin or the droppy eyelids.
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Treatment
Surgery involves removing the excessive skin, lifting the eyelid by tightening the muscles, or a combination of both. Dr. Yang has access to either using the CO2 laser or cautery for cutting into the skin. Whether to remove excessive skin or to gain access to tighten a weak muscle, both techniques offer decreased bleeding and faster wound healing than using a conventional blade. Local anesthetics are used so that even though patients are awake for the surgery, they will not feel any discomfort. Surgery is done on an outpatient basis and patients usually go home within 20 minutes after the completion of the surgery.
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