Eyelid surgery takes about 20 to 60 minutes and is done under local anesthetic at the Royal Jubilee Hospital. The stitches will dissolve on their own in one or two weeks. Steri-strips (paper-tape) may be applied over the wound and will loosen in a couple of days or sooner depending on the oiliness of your skin. There is a 5% chance of the repair being under/over corrected and needing further surgery. The most rare and devastating risk is irreversible loss of vision.
Smoking causes poor healing and should be avoided. DO NOT DRIVE to or from your surgery. Bring a driver or take a taxi.
Discontinue all ASPIRIN products two weeks prior to surgery (including Advil, Motrin, Naprosyn, Gingko Biloba and Green Tea). If you require something for pain, take Tylenol only. Coumadin/Warfarin needs to be discontinued 4 days prior to surgery. Please consult your family doctor prior to stopping Coumadin/Warfarin.
Continue to take ALL OTHER regular medications.
Please remove any eye make-up. Apply antibiotic ointment 4 times a day on your incisions.
To reduce swelling, apply ice (frozen peas) for 10 minutes on and 10 minutes off while awake for 2 days after surgery. DO NOT leave ice on for any longer than 15 minutes – it will freeze the skin.
Elevate head with an extra pillow while sleeping or sleep in an easy chair to reduce swelling.
Use an Artificial Tear or Tear Gel for comfort as often as needed.
After a few days, use a warm compress for comfort if needed.
If you have paper strips over stitches, you can remove them the following day. To remove them, soak with warm water or apply Vaseline/Polysporin. Let the paper tape soak for a few hours, then remove. Removing the paper strips may cause some bleeding. Apply cold compress and elevate head. The bleeding should resolve in a few minutes.
After the stitches are removed or 7 days after surgery if you have dissolving sutures, Vitamin E oil may be applied to help reduce scarring.
Make-up can be worn one week after surgery. It is normal to have fluid collect at the lower lid where the eyelid and cheekbone meet. This may look like a fluid blister and will resolve on its own.
Bruising, redness and swelling often lasts 2 weeks or more and are a normal reaction to the sutures. Uncontrolled swelling, bruising, pain and loss of vision is a medical emergency. If this happens, contact our office immediately or go to an emergency room.
Excessive bleeding is rare. If you should experience bleeding, apply pressure to the wound with an ice pack. Lie quietly with head elevated. Go to the nearest emergency or contact our office if bleeding is uncontrollable.
If you are experiencing a fever, please take a Tylenol and contact our office.
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