Is Tobradex really necessary? First upper bleph, the board certified doctor didn’t prescribe it and all was fine. 8 years

Tobradex is medication that has an antibiotic and steroid. Often surgeons prescribe this following eyelid surgery. If the cost is prohibitive, you do not need it. There are numerous other options and there is no data to support one over another. The final result of your surgery will depend on your surgeon’s ability, not the post operative ointment.
Hope this helps.

This eyedrop is tobramycin and dexamethasone. This has been generic for a long time and is typically inexpensive. There are many other generic antibiotic and steroid eyedrop combinations available in case there is a problem with this particular combination in your area. Best to discuss this with your surgeon. I hope this helps! Sincerely, Dr. Joseph

I do not feel there is any indication to use Tobradex if there is no infection or excessive inflammation. The incidence of infection is rare in eyelid surgery. Tobradex has side effect and in particular can raise intraocular pressure.Hope this helps.

A combination of antibiotic and corticosteroid to protect from an infection and discomfort after surgery is frequently prescribed in blepharoplasty surgery. However, this varies from surgeon to surgeon. Hope this helps.

I normally only prescribe Tobradex eye drops after lower blepharoplasty but not upper blepharoplasty. I would recommend following the instructions of your particular surgeon though. I have had some patients find a discounted cost of Tobradex through GoodRx. You could try that to see if it would lower your cost.

Tobradex is an ophthalmic ointment that contains an antibiotic (trobramycin) and a steroid (dexamethasone). Unfortunately is is extremely irritating and is way over used. A bland ophthalmic ointment is all one needs after surgery. You might consider a different surgeon based solely on this choice. The first thing I do when I see patients having eye irritation after blepharoplasty is take them off the Tobradex.

Thank you for a great question. The simple answer is that TobraDex is not absolutely essential, but can be helpful in the initial Perioperative time. I will state a note of caution: Revision upper eyelid blepharoplasty should be approached with caution. Many patients who have approached me with this request are actually Candidates for brow lifts. Over excision of upper eyelid, skin can lead to terrible functional problems.

In our practice, we do not use Tobrdex for upper eyelid surgery, we only use it for lower eyelid surgery. There are other eyedrop's available that are much cheaper if needed.