Complications in blepharoplasty: how to avoid and manage them

Abstract

Complications in blepharoplasty are uncommon and, when they occur, they are usually mild and transient, such as hematomas and chemosis. However, sometimes they can be severe, such as blindness, or they might require surgical correction, such as ectropion. Objective To evaluate the results and complications of transcutaneous blepharoplasty performed in the same procedure, discussing how to treat and how to avoid them. Methods A retrospective study of 200 medical records of consecutive patients that underwent transcutaneous blepharoplasty from January 2007 to January 2009. The variables analyzed were age, gender, complications, clinical outcome, patient satisfaction, and photographic documentation. Results The incidence of complications was 9.5% (19 patients). The complications were 1 hematoma, 12 cases of chemosis and 13 patients who underwent canthoplasty, 6 patients with malposition of the lower eyelid (5 retractions and 1 ectropion). Medical treatment was performed in 12 patients and revision surgery in 7 cases of all the patients who had complications. Conclusions We demonstrated that blepharoplasty is a procedure with a high satisfaction and a low complication rate, and it is an excellent surgical procedure, when properly indicated.

Unilateral blindness due to retrobulbar hematoma after lower blepharoplasty

“…In addition, retrobulbar hematoma may occur if there is persistent bleeding in the orbicularis oculi muscle, or if adequate hemostasis of the resected fat tissue is not achieved [1,5]. According to Patrocinio et al [6], hematoma following blepharoplasty can be classified as pre-septal or post-septal. Pre-septal hematoma, which is confined to the eyelid alone, confers no risk of impaired vision, whereas post-septal hematoma occurs in the intraocular area, causing a pressure increase in the orbit and compromising the optical nerve.…”

Evaluation of Surgical Outcomes, Patient Satisfaction and Potential Complications after Blepharoplasty

“…The most common complications associated with blepharoplasty include asymmetry, edema, infection, lagophthalmos, and secondary keratopathy, canthal folds, and ectropion. While these complications can be treated, loss of vision is still a very serious complication that has been reported in the literature at a rate of 0.004% (11,12). These severe complications are more common after lower eyelid blepharoplasty operations, and are seen only rarely following upper eyelid blepharoplasty.…”

Comparison of the effectiveness of intralesional triamcinolone acetonide injection vs. incision and curettage techniques in the treatment of chalazion

“…Göz kapağına uygulanan cerrahilerde nadirde olsa hematom, kapak kenarı pozisyonel anomalileri ve pitozis gibi komplikasyonların gelişebileceği bildirilmektedir (25). Olgularımızda insizyon ve küretaj işlemine bağlı herhangi bir komplikasyonla karşılaşmamamız, işlem öncesi yaptığımız dikkatli lokal anestezi ve kapak kenarına dik bir kesi uygulanması (kapak kenarının 4 mm yakınına kadar) ile açıklanabilir.…”