I've been putting off writing this review for a long time. I have felt hopeless and ashamed of what happened to me. But I need to tell people. Dr. Kathleen Duerksen destroyed my left eye. I saw Dr. Duerksen on June 27th, 2025, for a quad blepharoplasty. She had been recommended to me by a well-respected dermatologist in the area, and she was known for her excellent reputation. Many people told me to see an "oculoplastic surgeon" because they are more experienced in treating the delicate muscles around the eye. I thought I was making an informed decision by seeing her. Immediately post-surgery, I had extremely asymmetric bruising. My left eye looked far more beat up than my right eye. Over the course of the next several months, I had ectropion in my lower left lid, which was treated with steroids, cancer medication, and Botox. Every time I went to the office, I felt like I was being gaslit. Yes, the extroption was getting better, but the area under my left eye looked like it had been scooped out with an ice cream scoop, and Dr. Duerksen kept saying I had swelling in my cheek. Six months after surgery, I no longer had swelling in my cheek. To this day, I have lost mobility in my lower left eyelid and upper left cheek. My lower left eyelid is hollowed out to a degree I have never seen in another patient. She permanently disfigured my face. The fix she offered me was a bit of filler. I have been to several plastic surgeons since. No one can even tell me what went wrong. I've heard phrases like, "This just isn't how it's done," and "I can't explain it."

I turn 65 in December and while I'm happy with the way my face is aging (I have laser skin tightening just about every month), I recently saw myself close up on the "big screen" acting in a film. I've always considered my eyes my best feature, and it was really apparent to me that my eyes had begun to droop and my lids were getting quite heavy. I have another large role coming up in the spring and decided that I wanted to have eyelid surgery during the pre production phase and before the holidays. Dr. Duerksen is well known for being the best t "eyes", so I didn't even bother getting another opinion or quote. Updated on 7 Nov 2023: Updated on 30 Nov 2023: My left eye feels great. There must have been more difficulty with my right eye, because it is definitely still healing. Although it’s completely “healed”, there is still some swelling and the incision is more noticeable. The biggest thing I’ve noticed that I didn’t expect is that my eyelids are still numb. Putting eyeliner on feels really weird. Kind of like putting lip liner on after you’ve been to the dentist after a filling and your lip is still numb. I’m sure that will go away though.