Is there a way to wear eyeglasses post-surgery without causing damage or deformity to the new nose?

Question

I cannot see without wearing eyeglasses. I am having rhinoplasty in a few weeks and have been told I cannot wear my eyeglasses for 4-6 weeks following surgery. I am not able to wear contact lenses, so my question is this: Is there a way to wear eyeglasses post-surgery without causing damage or deformity to the new nose?

Alexander Donath, MD, FACS · Answer

You should be able to wear the glasses by taping the bridge to your forehead.  Not the most stylish look of course, but it is functional.  This helps keep the nosepieces off of the nose. Also, if the glasses are light, they may rest gently on the cast. Hope that helps and best of luck!Dr. Donath

Anna Petropoulos, MD, FRCS · Answer

I agree. You may wear your glasses over your cast while it is still on. Thereafter it would be best for you to tape your glasses to your forehead for about 6 weeks. You may thus wish to buy very light glasses (as opposed to heavy) or switch to contacts if that is possible.Best Wishes for your procedure !

Kenneth Yu, MD · Answer

It's best not to wear glasses after a rhinoplasty since the glasses may disrupt the intended results of your surgery.  Some patients will wear contacts during day.  If you have significant near sightedness and wear glasses only, the simplest trick is to tape the glasses to your forehead so that the glasses are not putting any pressure on your nose.  Take care.

Sirius K. Yoo, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question.  Some of my patients have become quite resourceful and I have seen glasses hanging from the bill of a baseball type cap and I have also seen them hanging from contraptions that tape to the forehead.  Both of these can be very effective, but not likely to win you any style points.  All the best!

William Portuese, MD · Answer

In our practice, we take the cast off at 6 days. Patients are able to wear the glasses across the cast of the nose. Once the cast has been removed, the tape is removed from the backside of the cast, and discarded. The actual plastic molded cast is given to the patient  and that can be fitted across the nose and the weight of the glasses  is dispersed across the entire bridge.

Jennifer L. Walden, MD · Answer

I instruct my patients that they may wear glasses after a rhinoplasty by taping them to the forehead to alleviate some pressure. If the are pretty light frames I will check them out and in that case I may let the patient start to wear them sooner-- 2-3 weeks out.

Barry L. Eppley, MD, DMD · Answer

It would depend on the type of rhinoplasty you are having. If it involves osteotomies of the upper nose then you should avoid pressure from eyeglasses on the bridge of the nose. This can be best alleviated by taping your glasses to your forehead for a few weeks after the splint is removed.

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

I usually allow patients to tape their glasses to the forehead for the first 3 weeks or so, they usually can gently place glasses on their nose after that with care.

Is there a way to wear eyeglasses post-surgery without causing damage or deformity to the new nose?

Answers (8)