Oculoplastic surgery is a medical specialty within the branch of eye surgery. This means that oculoplastic surgeons are first and foremost eye specialists. After two years or more of training, these doctors dedicate themselves to surgery of the structures around the eye, including the eyelids, tear-duct system, and orbit or eye socket. Oculoplastic surgeons are trained to perform intraocular surgery, that is, surgery of the eye itself, and surgery of the anatomical tissues around it. Procedures may be aesthetic, meaning they are intended to improve facial appearance, or reconstructive, to cure diseases such as skin cancer or lacrimal obstructions.
The most common oculoplastic operations are those that comprise the eyelid position. These include blepharoplasty (eyelid lift), eyelid reconstructions, and entropion/ectropion repair. Lacrimal system procedures are also standard, especially endoscopic surgery, to treat lacrimal sac obstruction.
A substantial portion of oculoplastic surgery deals with age-related changes in the eyelids, such as removing bags and saggy skin from the lower eyelids and repairing ptosis (droopy eyelids). The object of these procedures is to improve the appearance of the eyes and face.
We have mentioned only a few of the procedures performed by oculoplastic surgeons; in reality, their repertoire includes dozens of procedures on the surface of the eye and many more around it. In addition to surgical procedures, oculoplastic surgeons also offer non-invasive alternatives utilizing plasma and high-frequency ultrasound technology. There is no medical specialty like oculoplastic surgery!
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