Help! I had a BCC removed near my medial canthus and now I have a dry eye. (Photo)

Question

I had a 4mm wide BCC removed 3 months ago-excised with clean margins, hopefully! Ever since my eye is dry. Saw an opthamologist because it is so severe, tear duct is intact, she feels it's more related to prior LASIK surgery. I don't agree. My eye was one hundred percent normal before. Will it ever get better? I am seeking a second opinion from another opthamologist. My surgeon feels that my tear duct angle may be slightly altered, but he feels my dry eye shouldn't be as bad as it is.

Mark L. Mazow, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for your question. The tear duct is the drain, not where the tears are produced.If the tear duct were involved then you would not drain your tears as well and thus have excess tears rather than a dry eye. Your original Ophthalmologist may be correct, but you should seek a second opinion if you want more information. It is possible that healing may have pulled the lid away from the eye enough to cause some closure issues that could make your dry eye symptoms worse. I would consult with an Ophthalmologist or more specifically an Oculoplastc surgeon for an evaluation.

Adam Stibich, MD · Answer

Well from the photo there are a few ideas I can kick out to you. For one you have to remember that your tears come from glands around your eyelid which are not near that surgery, so production is not the issue. If your tear duct opened it became more patent from some scarring and contracture of the surgery you can easily massage the area to soften the scar and reduce the tension on the duct area. Some may inject some kenalog into the area to soften the scar. One may place a punctual plug into the duct to decrease the drainage of the tears from the eye. You may want to seek the opinion of a oculoplastic doctor in your area, best A

Help! I had a BCC removed near my medial canthus and now I have a dry eye. (Photo)

Answers (2)

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Help! I had a BCC removed near my medial canthus and now I have a dry eye. (Photo)

Answers (2)

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Everything you need to know about Mohs Surgery

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.