TXYank Loc: Granbury, TX

During my annual eye exam recently, I told my optometrist that I was a photographer and noticed that I could not get many of my images to be tack sharp while in manual focus. He told me that, in addition to changes in my prescription, I might entertain the idea of having a blepharoplasty. My eyelids are puffy because of genetics and droopy because of age. This, he said, can cause vision difficulties and can affect by ability to focus. Before I take this surgical plunge, I would like to know if any members here have had the surgery and, if so, did you find improvement in your vision and therefore image sharpness?

gwong1 Loc: Tampa, FL

I have known people who have had the surgery you describe, but not any photographers. They do report they found improved vision. Gary

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

You should be aware of whether or not your droopy eyelid is causing problems with focusing. Try an experiment - hold or tape your eyelid up and see what happens. Make sure your diopter adjustment in the viewfinder (if your camera has one) is adjusted for your vision. If you need reading glasses and your camera doesn't have this adjustment, go to your nearest camera store and try some cameras that have them. This could be the problem. Other things can mess up your ability to focus through the viewfinder - floaters in your central field of vision may not impact your eye-chart results, but when trying to see a small area in the viewfinder they can mess up your vision. Same with a small area of cataract formation. If these are problems, then blepharoplasty will not help you. Does your camera have an LCD display that you can use for focusing? A lot of photographers find this to be easier to use if their vision is not 100%.

Now - the good news - if your ophthalmologist can document that your droopy eyelids are interfering with your vision, then insurance/Medicare will often cover the cost of the procedure - and you will look mahvelous, simply mahvelous! :lol:

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

Agree with SB, complete and well said.

My Rant> In the USA all they know is eye lids... easy big $ and insurance pays. For me it is the case I went in for brow lift and ended up with circumcised eyes.... 10 year later while living in Argentina ... still looking thru a bush of eye brows and having to lift a big chunk of meat to see, well there I got a cut just above that bush.. a brow lift.. yes you can see a faint scar... so what.

In USA they want to do a face lift with scar at hair line... Hell, that is at the back of my head now. The brow lift changes immediately the perception of energy level... between feeling sleepy to feeling awake and alert. Strange the effect but true.

So SB's advice regarding tape is an excellent one. Beware of USA medical "help" it is not as good as in other countries... could be but isn't .... they only know what they know and do not look beyond .. and rarely listen to the patient.
.........................................

For my macro\Closeup work I bought a HDMI c to HDMI a adapter and so now have a 32" HDTV vs 3" live view... that is 10.7xdiagnonal or 115 the area. Even my ol' eyes can see that.
Check on net for sizes of HDMI cable ends, there are 5 sizes... the large one is A

TXYank Loc: Granbury, TX

Thanks, all, for your comments and recommendations. I also know some people who have had the surgery and they also report improved vision. I especially wanted to know, however, whether any photographers here have had it done. The last thing I want to do is go under the knife. Having surgery near my eyes is doubly unsettling. I shoot with a 70D and have adjusted the diopter to my eyesight. I have tried to lift my eyelid out of the way to improve vision with moderate success. I will try the cellophane tape method.

Thanks again, all.

matair Loc: L.I. NY (East End)

Had eye lid surgery last year and no effect on vision.

budcmor Loc: Watervliet, Michigan

As an optician who works in an ophthalmology office, I will try to give you some background and tips. Blepharoplasty is typically done due to the restricted peripheral vision that is caused by the droopy eyelids, causing a danger especially when driving. In your case, the puffiness of the eyelids may be pressing on the cornea causing astigmatism, which distorts the vision. The surgery works very well, and I am not aware of anyone having poor results, or complications from the surgery. Make an appointment with an ophthalmologist who has a very good track record in that area of expertise. (We have one ophthalmologist in our office who specializes in that type of surgery.) They can do tests to confirm if you even qualify for the surgery. (restricted peripheral vision etc.) Good luck!

TXYank Loc: Granbury, TX

Matair, I am sorry that the surgery did not work to improve your eyesight. I trust it didn't affect your photography, though.

Budcmor, thanks for the information from someone on the front lines. I guess the next step is to see if indeed I am a candidate for the surgery.

Thanks to all for your comments and recommendations.

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

The following remarks are IMO and personal experience... viewing the situation as tho it were an engineering machine made of flesh... nothing magic.. it is based on measurements:

Do experiment to make sure that your eyebrows are not below the brow ridge bone. Check out the position on a younger person. so some photography to see how you eyes look with the brow raised with either fingers or tape. Most us have face sag as we grow older. I suspect that eye lid trim is to compensate for brow sagging.

Many if not most (guess) eye doctors do eyelids because it is what they do. Brow lift is much more complicated, mine was done by injection... no pain. It made a quick difference.

Brow lift in USA is expensive because they want to do a upper face lift to place scar in hair line. At my age my goal was to get the weight of the brow off of my eyes. Lifting the brow (hair) up to the starting point you probably will find that eye lid is not too long and does not need shortening.

While searching... I came across this one where "fanny fat" is injected in the face to renew position of face skin that was created for a young fat/collagen filled face of youth. You should be eating while watching this video, yuck. but informative.
http://www.realself.com/question/brow-lift-vs-blepharoplasty-which-best-sagging-eyelids

This site:
http://www.theplasticdoc.com/plastic-surgery/brow-lift.cfm
"Frequently, people are told that they need upper eyelid surgery. They will have droopy skin at the outer aspect of the eye with a fold in the crow's feet area. At casual observation, the patient will agree. Unfortunately, the wrong operation is often performed. A brow lift would have been the appropriate procedure and upper eyelid surgery done if there were excess skin following the brow lift."

TXYank Loc: Granbury, TX

Thanks for your thoughtful response. I do appreciate all the individual experiences. What I have in mind -- if I go through with the surgery at all -- is just to focus (no pun intended) on the eyelids, not the eyebrows and forehead. At this point, I will make an appointment with my optometrist and then an ophthalmologist.

If and when I do have it done, I will report back to let people know how well it worked.