Eyelid Surgery - Correcting Ptosis and Dermatochalasis

Advancing age and hereditary factors can cause the eyelids to lose their adequate position and tone. Several conditions may appear which can interfere with your vision or can cause discomfort, irritation, burning and excessive watering.

Droopy and heavy upper lids can interfere with your peripheral vision, especially your upper visual field, sometimes making it difficult to drive or to read, forcing you to have to use your forehead muscles to keep your eyes open or to tilt your hear backwards to compensate for the droopiness of your eyelids. The surgical correction of this condition is usually covered by insurance since it is done for functional reasons and as a medical necessity. It is not considered cosmetic surgery.

Loose, malpositioned and sagging lower lids can cause eye irritation, burning and watering. The malposition of the lower lids can also be corrected with surgery that is not considered cosmetic but medically necessary.

Tumors of the eyelids, benign or malignant, also appear as we get older. These usually require surgical removal to get rid of them. We will examine you and determine the nature of any lesion on your eyelids or eyes and we will remove them for you, usually under local anesthesia in the office. This is another service that is usually covered by insurance.

At the O'Donnell Eye Institute we will run all the tests to determine if the eyelid surgery you need is medically necessary and we will submit a request with this information to your insurance company for approval of benefits.