Could Fat Grafting Under Eyes Help Dry Eye Symptoms?

Our study [soon to be published] on the effect on the fat grafting on the lower eyelid  indicates, that a mild improvement occurs in the eyelid position: the lower eyelid is raised by about 0.5 mm on average across all patients [some more than others obviously].

Lower lid retraction repair [raising the lower eyelid] does in fact improve dry eye symptoms, however it is uncertain that the modest improvement in eyelid position was enough to impact symptoms. This was not looked at in our study and will be addressed in a future one.

 

 

 

     Fat grafting to this area can improve the appearance, but significant improvement in dry eye symptoms would not be expected.  Find a plastic surgeon with ELITE credentials who performs hundreds of liposuction and fat transfer procedures each year.  Then look at the plastic surgeon's website before and after photo galleries to get a sense of who can deliver the results.  Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

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Dry Eye Syndrome is the result of decreased tear production.  Drying increases with aging and can be very irritating.  Sometimes dry eyes get worse after a blepheroplasty because the more open eyelid allows greater evaporation of tears.  Plugging the tear duct often is done to keep more tears bathing the eye.  Surgery to the lids (blepheroplasty) is unlikely to improve dry eye syndrome unless there is a significant abnormality of lid position.  Fat grafting should have no beneficial affect.