Would NHS cover my treatment for baggy eyelids?

Question

I am 64 mail my eye lids have got very baggy they are starting to effect my vision my family are always telling me to wake up as they think i am asleep. This happens when i am relaxing to watch tv or go on my pc ,at times i can see my eyelids dropping down.This gives me a narower and thing get a bit darker, when i went for my gloucoma test they had to hold my eyelids up so they could do the test

Jonathan Kulbersh, MD · Answer

This depends and needs an in-person evaluation. The only permanent solution to eye bags is lower blepharoplasty.  The results should last about eight to ten years. You should also develop an anti-aging regimen with your facial plastic surgeon that will include skin care and laser treatments to maintain the results of your blepharoplasty and keep your skin looking healthy and young as you age. I hope this helps.

Harry Glassman, MD · Answer

If you had to hold your eyelids up for a glaucoma test, then you would most certainly fail a test called a “visual field study” which measures your peripheral vision. This would make your bilateral upper blepharoplasty fall more into the “functional” rather than the “cosmetic” area of plastic surgery. In my experience it has been very difficult to deal with NHS with this operation. They tend to think of all blepharoplasty claims as being cosmetic surgery masquerading as functional surgery. It sounds like you almost must have the surgery in order to see well. Hopefully your plastic surgeon can reason with NHS to have the procedure covered.

Andrew G. Silver, MD · Answer

The answer is that this depends. If your eyelids are blocking part of your visual field (not able to see things because your eyelids are getting in the way) then you may be able to have this covered by insurance. Most commonly, an eye specialist will perform tests to see if this is occurring. If your vision is being blocked, then you may be eligible for correction under insurance. hope this helps!

Would NHS cover my treatment for baggy eyelids?

Answers (3)

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