<p>I am thinking of looking into this. My eyelids droop to the point that they push down on my eyelashes and obstruct my vision to some degree. I have developed the habit of holding my eyes wide open/raising my eyebrows to counteract it which is giving me wrinkles on the forehead. It appears that I probably meet the criteria to have insurance cover it, although it might be below my deductible.</p>
<p>Has anyone here had any experience with this? How well did it work? How long did it take to look fairly normal afterward?</p>
<p>Feel free to PM me if you don’t want to discuss it in public! :)</p>
<p>My husband had it done in January and also had the bags under his eyes worked on which was not covered by insurance. His surgery was complicated by his general health–COPD and A-fib (he is on blood thinners). We were at the hospital about 4 hours and he was told not to drive for 2 more days. I could not get him to use the ice packs as frequently as suggested by the discharge instructions so he might have had more swelling than he should have but by the third day, he looked pretty good other than deep purple bruises under his eyes which might have been from his additional surgery. He refused the pain medicine, talking only a couple of Tylenol. </p>
<p>His appearance has improved and his vision has definitely improved so the surgery was worthwhile. Hope this helps and if you have any more questions, I will be happy to answer from the caregivers perspective.</p>
<p>I had this done in Nov 2012. Took a week off of work and was still very bruised when I went back but was able to cover with makeup, so no one noticed. I don’t tolerate pain meds, but was fine with Motrin.
Would I do it again- yes!
Feel free to pm me if you want other details.</p>
<p>I just had it done few months ago. It took less than an hour for me. There was no pain afterwards, just a bit of discomfort. I was a model patient, lots of ice packs and sleeping up for few nights. I didn’t go out for few days and was back at work after a week. It is almost 3 months, I can still see a bit of redness and swelling, but others can’t. My insurance covered most of it</p>
<p>My mother-in-law had this done many years ago - the doctor said it was affecting her eyesight and so it was covered by insurance - she was very pleased with the results - I don’t think it took long to heal.</p>
<p>They suck the fatty tissue out, and if you have excess skin, they would trim it. Kind of like tummy tuck. A lot of eye doctors do the procedure now - in case you worry about having a plastic surgeon touching your eyes.</p>
<p>What the eye doc told me is that, if your sight is obstructed by some qualifying degree, insurance “may” pay for it. I’m not that far yet, but interested. </p>
<p>This is really interesting. Years ago my doctor mentioned how my son has extra skin on his eyelids, I can’t remember what he called it. It just gives him a slightly sleepy look all the time. I wonder if this will become an issue as he gets older and gravity sets in!</p>
<p>Apparently, I am far from alone! Thanks for the feedback. It sounds like this is something that can be done in a doctor’s office set up for surgery, as opposed to a hospital?</p>
<p>I am definitely planning to get this done in the future! And in my case, it’s pure vanity. I can see just fine (thanks to my multifocal contacts), but I hate the droopy lids and hideous bags. I am 51 now, so will probably do it in the next few years. </p>
<p>My ophthalmologist does this on an outpatient basis, but I’d research a bit more before signing up for that. For starters, I’d want to know what they do if a complication arises? Does the doc have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital? How many has he done? References?</p>
<p>I would get it done at a hospital or a surgical place. There should be an anesthesiologist and surgical nurse, so I don’t think it can be done in a doctor’s office. I consulted a plastic surgeon and an eye doctor, both of them said it would be done in a hospital.</p>
<p>It’s not always done in a hospital that’s for sure. In fact I have never heard of it being done in a hospital although it probably happens. Costs will vary but $2500 is the going rate around here and it takes about a hour. No anesthesia, just a valium and a laser slice and stiches followed by swelling and some heavy duty bruising that can last weeks. You would probably be surprised to learn how many people have had this done. It’s very common. </p>