Sensory Changes in Periocular Skin After Upper Eyelid Surgery.

The aim of this interventional, prospective study is to estimate the change in periocular cutaneous sensation after upper eyelid surgery. The trial included 48 eyes of 24 patients undergoing upper eyelid blepharoplasty or upper eyelid blepharoplasty and blepharoptosis repair. Eyelid sensation was measured using a Cochet-Bonnet filament-type esthesiometer at 4 predetermined anatomical locations in the upper eyelid. The mean esthesiometry reading was calculated at the preoperative visit (4.06 cm), at 2-week postoperative visit (4.38 cm), and at final postoperative visit (4.52 cm). Paired t test showed no significant difference in sensation measurement at second visit compared with baseline (P = 0.205) or at final visit compared with baseline (P = 0.092). Paired t test showed no correlation between type of surgery and change in sensation. Sex and age did not influence change in sensation. In 40 of 42 eyelids, (95.24%), patients reported no reduction in subjective eyelid sensation. The authors conclude that eyelid sensation was not compromised objectively or subjectively by upper eyelid skin incision surgery. Surgeons can reassure patients contemplating surgery that it is very unlikely that cutaneous sensation will be damaged.