I Have Had Lazy Eye Since Birth. Dr Said Botox or Surgery, But Scared of Needles?

As Dr. Nakra mentioned. Lazy eye can mean two things:  crossed eyes or droopy eyelids.

The surgery and botox treatments for these entities are totally different. Surgery will give you a long lasting effect whereas botox is temporary. Cost may also be a factor.



If you decide to explore this further, I would recommend consultation with an ASOPRS trained Oculoplastics surgeon. You can find one close to you on the ASOPRS dot org website.

People use the term "lazy eye" to mean either eyeballs that are misaligned (strabismus) or a droopy eyelid (ptosis). I'm guessing you mean the latter as this was posted under the blepharoplasty section. If that is the case then Botox can be a viable option for very mild ptosis, however if you have more than 1mm of ptosis, than surgery will probably become the more effective option. you should speak further with your surgeon, because it is important to note that ptosis is not corrected by blepharoplasty (eyelid skin removal). A separate maneuver called ptosis surgery will be required that involves tightening the eyelid muscle that lifts the upper eyelid. With any of these surgeries, you can be given some sedation if you are quite anxious about needles near the eye to make the experience a lot more pleasant. As an Oculoplastic surgeon that has undergone ptosis surgery himself under local anesthesia, I can tell you that the procedure is really quite simple from a patient's perspective. Good luck!

Perhaps you mean you have an appointment to discuss these options.  If you have not seen the pediatric ophthalmologist, I recommend seeing this consultant and determining what they actually recommend.  Surgery has to be scheduled anyway.  Dr Ishoo may not realize that injecting an extra ocular muscle with BOTOX is not a very pleasant experience for patients and it is not really practical to ice the eye.  Please do not attempt to do this.  Discuss with your consultant your fears.  Perhaps they can give you an anxiolytic prior to BOTOX injection if that is the recommended treatment.

No one likes pain and needles. However, Botox injections a virtually pain free and small. They can be tolerated by most everyone. I always have patient's ice the areas of injection to help with any kind of discomfort or anxiety. 

 

The nice thing about Botox is it is minimally invasive and reversible with time.  If you doctor thinks it will work, it is worth trying.  The injection will be a very small volume with a tiny needle.  You will likely have ample topical anesthetic given as well. Most patients are surprised by how little discomfort they have during the procedure.

Most Botox injections are performed using insulin syringes with 30 or 31g needles which are completely tolerable by anyone. I recommend applying cool compress to the area for 10-15 minutes prior to injection which will provide you with additional desensitization of the treatment area.  You need to choose between surgical and non-surgical approach based on what is the best treatment and not fear of needles.