My Drooping Eyelids Are Affecting My Eyesight: Can You Help?

When the skin around your eyes begins to droop, it can affect your vision, making it difficult to see as clearly as you used to. What’s more? Saggy eyelids can alter the way you look, adding years to your appearance.

While you can use concealer to hide dark under-eye circles or cut bangs to cover up forehead wrinkles, there’s little you can do on your own to change the function or appearance of your eyelids. That’s why blepharoplasty, or reconstructive eyelid surgery, is a popular treatment. 

The board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeons at Advanced Specialty Associates in St. Paul and Baxter, Minnesota, use reconstructive eyelid surgery to tighten the skin around your eyes, which can improve your vision and restore a youthful appearance. 

Keep reading to learn more about blepharoplasty and how it can help you see clearly again.

Understanding reconstructive eyelid surgery

Reconstructive eyelid surgery, or blepharoplasty, helps restore your vision by lifting and tightening the loose structures of your eyelids. It can also be used to remove excess fatty deposits and extra skin to give you a more youthful appearance. 

Your surgeon at Advanced Specialty Associates can perform reconstructive eyelid surgery on your upper or lower eyelids, depending on your needs. Our team can also combine an upper and lower blepharoplasty to give you the best results with a single recovery period. 

A blepharoplasty can do a number of things, including the following:

• Restore your full field of vision
• Reverse the visible signs of aging around your eyes
• Create bag-free lower lids
• Restore brighter-looking eyes

And, if you struggle with headaches or migraine, recent research suggests blepharoplasty may offer some relief.

One of the best things about reconstructive eyelid surgery is that it's a very safe surgery with minimal risks. Plus, the incisions are so well-placed and so small that there’s virtually no visible scarring.

What to expect during and after eyelid surgery 

Here's a look at what happens during eyelid surgery and what the recovery process is like.

The procedure

First, our team administers anesthesia. Once you’re resting comfortably, your provider makes tiny incisions in carefully selected locations. 

The exact placement of your incision depends on the specific type of eyelid procedure you’re undergoing, but most of the time they’re placed:

• In the natural crease of your upper eyelids
• Along the inside of your lower eyelids
• Under your lower eyelash line

Your provider removes the excess skin and fatty deposits, then closes the incisions. You can expect to go home the same day as your procedure. 

Most patients leave the office with gauze on their eyes, but you can remove the gauze at home based on the instructions of your provider. You may also have lubricating ointment on your skin, but this washes off when you clean the surgical site. 

Recovering at home

You should rest comfortably at home for several days, and you should avoid exercise and other strenuous activities for at least two weeks. It’s normal to have some swelling, bruising, and discomfort. You can use cold packs and the pain medications recommended by your provider to stay comfortable.

It’s also normal to have some sensitivity to light and blurry vision the first day or so after your surgery. If you wear contact lenses, you’ll need to wear glasses for at least two weeks after your surgery. 

Until you fully heal, you should wear dark sunglasses any time you go outside — even on cloudy days — to protect your eyes and the delicate skin around them. In about 3-5 days after your surgery, you’ll return to our office for a post-procedure check-in and to have any stitches removed. 

If you'd like to learn more about reconstructive eyelid surgery and see if it could help you, book an appointment online or over the phone with Advanced Specialty Associates today.