Reconstructive eye surgery is a specific type of medical procedure that attempts to correct problems concerning the eye structure. Depending on the initial issue at hand, the surgery may address functional or aesthetic concerns relating to the eye. The surgery itself may consist of making incisions inside eye structures like the retina or around the eye, such as the eyelid. Ophthalmic surgeons often lead the procedure, and individual prognoses for patients depend on factors including type of surgery and patient health.
Several issues may impair the eye. Injuries, tumors, or birth defects represent perhaps the most common needs for reconstructive eye surgery. These problems can cause scarring or disfigurement to the eye and its surrounding area. Patients and physicians may wish to fix these problems with reconstructive treatments if they adversely affect the patient’s self-perception or if they significantly hinder sight.
Procedures for a reconstructive eye surgery will be somewhat guided by the specific goal. The basic process, however, is akin to most other surgical treatments. Patients will be administered an anesthetic, and surgeons will mark incision spots and use incision instruments to make necessary cuts. Since the eye and its surroundings are one of the most delicate areas of the body, these instruments will be smaller and more precise than other surgical tools. A certified eye — or ophthalmic — surgeon and a team of nurses and other assistants will help carry out the procedure.
One of the more common and less invasive forms of reconstructive eye surgery involves procedures to correct eyelid abnormalities. Typical conditions that may necessitate eyelid surgery include a drooping or an inversion of the eyelid. Procedures performed on the eyelids are common in reconstructive cosmetic surgery procedures that focus on the eye. Additional cosmetic procedures may seek to make the area around the eyes less wrinkled and more elastic. An invasive and extensive trauma-based or defect-based reconstructive surgery, on the other hand, might necessitate surgical work on surrounding muscles and bones in addition to the eye itself.
Outcomes for reconstructive eye surgery vary greatly by the procedure and the patient. Lighter procedures are more likely to restore the patient to a previous appearance or level of functioning. An extensive and involved surgery, however, may not be able to solve a severe problem, especially if the original impairment is located in a hard-to-access area. For example, a surgery to correct damage caused by a minor irritant in the eye will likely be easier than a surgery to correct damage sustained from a knife wound to the eye. As with any surgery, reconstructive eye surgery also carries the risk of worsening the problem or adversely affecting the patient’s health.