Introduction Injury or accidents can damage the eyelids. Repair of the injured eyelid needs specialized equipment, fine sutures and skills to restore its normal shape and function. Eyelid injury at the inner corner of the eye can injure the tear ducts (canaliculus) which requires special stents.
Which specialist to consult? An eye plastic surgeon is best trained to manage eyelid injuries, and has access to all the special equipment required to repair them. Being a trained ophthalmologist, an eye plastic surgeon can also perform a thorough examination to find out if the eyeball is also injured. If you are admitted in a multispecialty hospital, demand for an eye plastic surgeon to manage all injuries around the eye.
Surgical time and recovery Eyelid laceration repair can be performed under local or general anesthesia, depending upon the location and extent of the injury. Eyelid repair can take anything from 30 minutes to 3 hours, depending upon the complexity. Stitches are removed in 7-14 days. Most patients are back to light work within a week.
Insurance Health insurance will cover the costs of eyelid injury repair.
BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOS
A 4-year-old boy with avulsion injury to his eyelid. Meticulous stepwise repair of each eyelid component can bring back the appearance to near-normal, while preserving safety of the eye.
An unfortunate dob-bite injury leaves this child's eyelids into pieces. A complex surgery to place back every functional component of the eyelid gives a good cosmetic and functional result (A minor upper eyelid droop remains, but it can be further improved at a later date).
Another avulsion injury of the upper eyelid, treated with reconstructive plastic surgery.
Injury around the eyelids with loss of tissue. First, anti-scarring injections are used, followed by an eyelid-plastic surgery to bring it back to normal appearance.
Blast injury leading to foreign bodies, and torn eyelids. Staged plastic reconstruction of the eyelids has restored a near-normal appearance in few months.
Road traffic accident leading to loss of entire lower eyelid. A series of reconstructive surgeries has improved the appearance and protected the eyeball (Always wear a helmet!).
Left upper eyelid was lost after injury, exposing the eyeball. A two stage eyelid reconstruction (Cutler-Beard procedure) helped restore the normal eyelid structures.
