Dear Dr. Bakos,

Earlier this year you performed successful blepharoplasties on my left and right eyelids. I have been delighted with the outcome and wish to share the benefits and impressions of the procedure.

As to diagnosis. After presenting with eye strain you confirmed as a part of your examination that my eye correction prescription was correct and I had no other eye problems. I noted that I can spend from eight to twelve hours per day viewing a computer screen. I believed this was the cause of my eye strain. There was no option to reduce the on screen time beyond short breaks during the day. You noted my eyelids had excessive fat buildup, were drooping and could be contributing to my eye strain. After discussion, we agreed that a blepharoplasty procedure was a reasonable course of treatment. I had no interest in the cosmetic benefits of the procedure. My goal was purely medical, i.e., to relieve the progressive strain that was affecting my work performance and comfort.

The procedure was painless and with only minor local pain during the first few hours of recovery. I was surprised with the ease of the procedure from a patient's perspective. Recovery was straight forward and without incident beyond the expected post procedure minor swelling and bruising.

As to the outcome. My eye strain improved at once. The improvement has been significant and my work performance is back to 100%. Secondarily, my field of vision has improved. This proved to be an unanticipated valuable secondary benefit of the procedure. A few months following the procedure, I was involved in a high speed auto accident on one of the local expressways. The ticketed driver collided with me twice, the second time from my right rear side. I saw the second collision coming out of my peripheral vision and had a second to prepare for the resulting impact. I received no serious injuries. Without my improved vision, the outcome may have been dire.

Thank you for advising me of this procedure. As an aside my wife says I look younger so the cosmetic benefit is a value-added outcome.

Sincerely,

M. David Griffin
MDG/II