An Eye-Opening Experience: Blepharoplasty procedure lifts droopy eyelids to improve vision.

Gloria Lamb is a retired Detroit Public School Librarian. Doctors at the DMC Kresge Eye Institute have told her there’s a problem with her eyelids. They have drooped to the point where they cover half of her pupils, interfering with her scope of vision. Specialized tests at Kresge held the lids open, and the improvement in her range of vision was dramatic.   

Gloria decided it was time to have eyelid surgery, because her condition was making everyday activities she enjoyed, like reading, a chore.

So the DMC Kresge Eye Institute’s Dr. Evan Black prepared to do eyelid surgery to correct the two conditions causing Gloria’s problem: her eyelid skin had stretched and become baggy, and her eyelid muscles have slackened, a condition called ptosis (pronounced “toe-sis.”)

According to Dr. Black, “The procedure is more about sculpting and recreating an eyelid crease than just trying to take a whole lot of skin...the eyelid will be able to open much easier, enabling her to see much better.  She’ll have better peripheral vision.  It will be easier to read, easier to drive.  And she won’t be straining all the time to try to open her eyes.”

Dr. Back has done more than 12,000 of these surgeries for both functional and aesthetic purposes. To begin, he actually draws with a pen on Gloria’s eyelids to trace where he’ll do his incisions, along a natural crease in the lids. Once healed, they’ll be virtually unnoticeable. A local anesthetic numbed her eyelids to avoid any pain, but allows her to remain awake and respond to Dr. Black. First, Dr. Black does the blepharoplasty, which is the trimming of the excess skin. Then, he repairs the slack muscles causing the drooping.

After finishing one eye, Dr. Black checks the new range of vision with Gloria, and then matches it in the second eyelid. It isn’t long – only about an hour – before the doctor is completed with both eyelids.

When we visited Gloria a few weeks later, she was extremely pleased with the results. Her ability to read, drive and generally see was much improved, and she was also happy with the improved appearance of her eyes – less droopy or sleepy looking.

To request an appointment, call 888-DMC-2500.