RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY
Oculo-plastic (oculo-facial) surgery
This is specialised plastic surgery primarily for abnormalities of the eyelids and their surrounding tissues, and deals with the related tear system (lachrymal) and orbits (deeper structures surrounding the eyeball). Our Oculoplastic surgeons also do aesthetic treatments and surgery on normal eyelids and surrounding tissues to improve or change their perceived beauty, including blepharoplasty surgery and botulinum toxin injections.
Surgery can treat eyelid cysts and tumours, malpositions such as drooping eyelids (ptosis), staring eyes in thyroid eye disease, watering eyes and artificial (prosthetic) eyes. Common conditions affecting the eyelids are:
Blepharitis with chalazion: This can affect the eyelid margins of both eyes of men and women. Caused by infection from common skin bacteria at the eyelashes, it causes crusting, irritation, lid margin redness, reflex tearing, and burning and itching, with irritation and discharge and "red rimmed" eyes.
Meibomionitis: this is closely related to blepharitis, causing inflammation and mild blockage of the meibomian oily glands. Patients often have both meibomionitis and blepharitis, and are more prone to get a chalazion. The eyes are sore because the tears are not good quality and may evaporate fast and not cover the eye surface well.
The most common cause of watering eyes is a blocked nasolachrymal duct which lies in a bony canal that opens into your nose allowing the tears to drain down into the throat.. Surgery to overcome this blockage is called "dacryocystorhinostomy" or DCR. In order to confirm the site of the obstruction causing the watering, lachrymal syringing and gentle probing is done. The aim of this operation is to relieve a watery, sticky eye caused by blockage of the tear duct (nasolachrymal duct) situated between the tear sac (lachrymal sac) at the corner of the eye and the tear outflow passage into the back of the nose.
DCR consists of creating a direct connection between the tear sac into the nose, bypassing the blockage and allowing tears to drain normally again. Usually some soft silicone tubes are placed, which are removed about two months after surgery.