I just had my cheek bone and the bone under my eye repaired after being traumatically broken. The surgeon placed three plates like a triangle to secure the bones. One incision he used to do this was my upper eyelid. My eye is still quite swollen and my eyelid is not moving at all. He assures me this will go back to normal with time and eyelid movement. Can you please expand on this? Is this normal recovery? How long before my eyelid opens completely? I did not expect this to happen as he told me nothing would be droopy after surgery. Thank you.
0 Answers
Dr. James Wethe wrote on :
Although in your question you did not give me exact timeframes, there are a couple of things that I can say about fractures of the bones around the eye. There is very commonly quite a bit of swelling and it may take several weeks for this to really settle down. All of the fluid and trauma to the tissues of the eyelid can make movement of the eyelid very limited until that swelling settles down. Although the time to recovery is very individual, it is very common for all of this to resolve. I would recommend that you bring your concerns to your surgeon so that they can explain exactly what was fractured and their expectation for the time needed to return to normal. Certainly your doctor is the best source for exact information about your care. Hope all settles down well and soon!
J. Wethe, M.D.
Dr. Susan Kaweski wrote on :
Unfortunately, it would be difficult to expand on this, without knowing more information and exactly the extent of the injury and what was performed to correct the trauma. I always reassure my patients that post-operatively healing takes time. You need to be patient and trust in your surgeon. You should not have any surgeries performed to correct anything your previous surgeon has done until you are healed. You can cause more damage than good. Do everything your surgeon tells you to heal properly and then if you are still not satisfied then seek further help.
Dr. Steve Laverson wrote on :
No authoritative answer can be offerred without more information about exactly what was done and what you look like now, however, in general, after open reduction and internal fixation of “tripod” peri-orbital fractures (which it sounds like you had), edema (swelling) of soft tissue over the frontal-zygomatic junction does persist for weeks to even months. This encompasses the lateral (outer) upper eyelid and brow. Your surgeon’s prediction that nothing would be droopy refers to the long term result, but in the short term of healing, deformity related to swelling produces asymmetry and visible distortion.