fbpx
Language: English ENGLISH
Book a Consultation

Entropion Surgery – What happens on the day?

On the day of your entropion surgery, which is the eyelid turning inwards towards the eye and irritating it, you will get up as normal and have a normal breakfast at home.  Then someone should bring you up to Clinica London to see the nurse for the preoperative assessment, which takes about half an hour.  During that she will explain to you what is involved when you go to the theatre and what it will be like when you come out.  She will check your blood pressure, make sure you do not have diabetes, make sure you have no allergies and help prepare you for the surgery.
The oculoplastic surgeon will then come and visit you in the admission area, re-examine your eyelid and confirm that the surgery is still required.
The oculoplastic surgeon will go over the consent form with you to make sure you are acutely aware of the operation you are about to have, including the benefits and the potential risks.  The risks of any surgery around the eyes or on the eyelids include discomfort with the local anaesthetic, a small bruise with the local anaesthetic and the surgery, some postoperative swelling and possibly some stitches.
With any surgery, there is also a postoperative risk of wound dehiscence or infection and a small risk to the vision.  The risk of the vision is minute, and we take great care in all steps of the surgery to ensure that your eyelids are not in danger.
After the surgery, there are usually some stitches visible, which stay in for at least two weeks. Some of them are absorbable and may stay in longer.
At the end of the day case surgery, you need to pad the operated eyelid with Chloramphenicol ointment so that it feels comfortable and the pad also helps to reduce postoperative bleeding and hence bruise.
Usually, you can take the eye pad off yourself at home on the first day after the surgery and then gently clean the eyelids with some sterile saline and gauze swabs.
After that, the oculoplastic surgeon will have instructed you to put in some Chloramphenicol ointment, which is an antibiotic but also very soothing and lubricating.  Instilling ointment is usually recommended between two and four times a day for a minimum of a week.  The first follow-up back with the surgeon can be between one and two weeks after surgery.
Although entropion surgery is not that common, it is seen increasingly in the older age group, and very often the high more senior does not seek help for their eyelids as they think that it does not matter or they are too old or that they may just be scared of the unknown.
In this blog and the previous one on entropion, I hope that I have been able to reassure you that having an entropion can be helped by medical and surgical means though in the long-term surgery is usually the best option.

Share

Book a Consultation