Know the Risks!

You’re thinking of getting eyelid surgery done to reduce that puffiness under your eyes, but don’t go ahead with it until you know the risks of surgery. Here are the most common risks associated with cosmetic blepharoplasty:

1. Blurry vision. Swelling that follows surgery can affect the ability to see, making everything look blurry. As the swelling goes down, blurriness will fade. A more serious matter is blurriness caused by damage to the eye muscles. In this case, it may be permanent although it is rare.

2. Scarring. Because an incision is made during surgery, a scar will result. However, most of the time your plastic surgeon will place the incision in a well hidden place (e.g. in the lash line or natural crease), so the resulting scar will be hidden.

3. Scratch on the cornea. Another relatively rare risk involves damage to the cornea in the form of a scratch. If this happens, treatment involves taping the eye shut so that it can heal.

4. Dry eyes. This can be resolved with eye drops.

5. Over correction, causing the eyes to appear sunken. When too much fat is removed to alleviate puffiness, the eyes may appear sunken. This is not so much a health problem as it is an aesthetic one.

6. Blindness. Because the eye area is so sensitive, a rare but serious risk is blindness.