According to Ophthalmology published report by the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). These gains have lasted at least 18 months and are approaching 4 years.
The Ocular Technology Assessment Committee for Ocular Facial and Orbital Surgery conducted a literature review of English-language research published in PubMed. The most recent search was conducted in January 2025. Twenty of the 773 reports met criteria such as the use of a validated HRQoL questionnaire.
The team’s methodologist assessed 3 articles as achieving a high level of evidence quality of 1. Eight reached level 2 and 9 were at level 3. The studies contained procedures for cosmetic or functional reasons and some additional correction of brow droop or wrinkles.
Seven publications examined dry eye symptoms after upper eyelid surgery. As a result, 5 analyzes found no deterioration. One study found short-term worsening of dry eye that resolved within 3 months. Another revealed worse dry eye symptoms when blepharoplasty was combined with Müller muscle conjunctival resection.
Measuring HRQoL provides important insight into the patient’s perception of illness, treatment experience and recovery, ultimately providing the opportunity to provide better care.
Eight analyzes measured self-consciousness about appearance, postoperative satisfaction, visual function, or age estimation. Results ranged from no difference between surgical techniques to significant benefits across categories. Two articles focused on headaches and revealed improvement for chronic or tension headaches.
The 3 studies on the long-term impact of ptosis restoration found permanent improvement. The average follow-up time in these studies was 1.5 to 3.6 years.
Studies prior to this review have described the objective, clinician-observed benefits of upper eyelid surgery—from better superior visual field and contrast sensitivity, to skinfold and margin reflex distance. However, the current report focuses on patient experiences.
“Measuring HRQoL provides important insight into the patient’s perception of illness, treatment experience and recovery, ultimately providing an opportunity to provide better care,” the researchers explain.
Limitations for many of the study designs were small samples and uneven surgical selection. In addition, this review excluded articles that have been frequently cited but used non-validated questionnaires. Only 2 designs used the Blepharoplasty Outcome Evaluation (BOE) survey. Also, all level 1 papers focused on HRQoL comparing surgical approaches—such as wound closure techniques—and had no control subjects.
Disclosures: Several researchers have disclosed partnerships in the pharmaceutical, medical device, and biotechnology industries. See the original report for full disclosures.
