What Can Be Causing a Foreign Body Sensation After Blephorplasty?

It is unlikely for material would be present after eyelid surgery to create the problem. A foreign object could have gotten trapped in the lid. Also inadequate tearing to lubricate the conjunctiva could be responsible. I would refer the patient of mine to that ophthalmologist for thorough examination.

Sound like he may be suffering from dry eye.  It is best to have an ophthalmology evaluation to rule that out.

 

Dr. ES

       Hard to say without pictures or an exam, but dry eyes from a variety of mechanisms can frequently create the foreign body sensation.  I would get an exam by an ophthalmologist.

Because of the timing of your father's symptom starting many months after his blepharoplasty, I doubt that it would be the cause of his eye irritation.  If you haven't done so already, I would recommend your father see an ophthalmologist.  An ophthalmologist would be able to examine your father's eyes in more detail than a plastic surgeon.     

It would be unusual for this problem to develop one year after surgery. While a granuloma could develop or a suture reaction occur at this late date, the first step would be an opthalmology evaluation for corneal irritation.

The foreign body sensation can be from surgery or unrelated. I got one leaving Disney World one year after their fireworks show.  I had a fiber under my eyelid which kept scratching my cornea.  It took a good eye exam to take care of it.  Good luck.

Were the lower eyelids done transconjunctivally or with a skin incision?  Sometimes a granuloma forms inside along the transconjunctival incision, which may need to be removed.  Most likely, however, as mnetioned by the other doctors, it may be a dry eye and a thourough eye exam by an ophthalmoloigist is necessary.

 The typical Upper Blepharoplasty (Upper Eyelid Surgery) does not have any internal sutures in the upper, inner corner of the eye.  If a Canthopexy was performed, at the same time, the internal suture may be causing some irritation to the eye at that location.  In either case, the eye should be thoroughly examined to determine the cause of the irritation and foreign body sensation by an eye doctor.