Before Surgery

1. Arrange for transportation to and from the Surgery Center or hospital and for a responsible adult to stay with you for several hours following surgery. In some cases, surgery will be performed as an inpatient and you will be hospitalized overnight.
2. Two weeks before surgery, discontinue and avoid taking aspirin containing products (aspirin, Bufferin, regular Anacin, Fiorinal, Easprin, aspirin with codeine, Darvon compound, Soma compound, and all Alka-Seltzer products) and aspirin-like anti-inflammatory drugs such as Advil, Aleve, Clinoril, Feldene, Indocin, Meclomen, Naprosyn, Motrin, and Relafen. In addition, avoid Vitamin E, Gingko Biloba, and St. Johns wort. You may take Tylenol, Datril, Panadol, or Anacin III as needed.
3. Have required blood work/lab tests performed and prescriptions filled as requested.

Day of Surgery

1. Please do not eat or drink anything after midnight; you may take your usual morning medications with a sip of water.
2. Please shower the morning of surgery; remove contact lenses and all makeup, including eyeliner and lipstick, while at home.
3. Wear comfortable clothing (loose blouse, button-down shirt).

After the Surgery

1. No alcoholic beverages or aspirin products such as Bayer, Bufferin, Anacin, Excedrin, etc. for at least one week after surgery. This also includes Advil, Nuprin, Motrin, Ibuprofen, and Naprosyn.
2. Please limit your activity. You should avoid quick, sudden movements, bending, straining, lifting, and, if possible, sneezing, coughing, and nose-blowing. If you need to sneeze, do so with your mouth open. You may read or watch TV. You may take a bath and shampoo your hair, but avoid getting the surgical areas saturated. Normal activities can usually be resumed in 2 to 3 weeks.
3. Whenever lying down or sleeping, keep your head elevated on two or three pillows such that the head is elevated above the level of the chest. This helps to reduce swelling which, in turn, reduces pain and speeds wound healing.
4. If antibiotics, decongestants, and/or systemic steroids have been prescribed, please take these as directed.
5. Please do not be alarmed by your appearance. Moderate swelling and purplish discoloration of the eyelids and face may occur and is to be expected. Expect your eyelids to be more swollen on the 2nd postoperative day than on the 1st postoperative day; your eyelids will be more swollen in the morning than later in the day. Bleeding into the white of the eye may occur; this may take 4-6 weeks to completely resolve. Please be patient.
6. Please use cold compresses over the eyelid(s) twenty minutes each hour the day of surgery and at least four times daily for 20-30 minutes for the next two days. Prepare cold compresses by placing a clean wash cloth or gauze pad in a pan or bowl of crushed ice and water. Partially wring out the cloth or gauze and place over the closed eyelids. As an alternative, you may buy frozen peas or frozen corn in commercial plastic bags at the grocery store and place the bag on a washcloth over your closed eyelids. Never place ice or the frozen food bags on your skin directly. Starting the 3rd day after surgery, use warm compresses four times daily. Place a clean cloth in warm water (as warm as you can tolerate without burning your skin) and wring it out slightly. Apply to closed eyelid and repeat dipping in hot water and wringing out whenever the cloth becomes cool. Continue for at least 10 minutes.
7. Apply the prescribed ointment to the suture line(s) two times daily and after cleaning the surgical area(s) for seven days. A Q-tip works well for this. Continue your regular preoperative eye drops and all other medications unless specifically instructed otherwise.

The following problems should be reported to the office (916) 614-4015 as soon as possible:

• Continuous, brisk bleeding. Please note that some oozing or drainage is common following a surgical procedure.
• Any separation of the suture lines.
• Excessive redness or swelling of the incision lines.
• Temperature (fever) over 101 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Excessive pain at the surgical site not relieved by the pain medication, especially if associated with protrusion of the eyeball.
• Any problem with vision. Please note that some blurriness is expected after surgery due to the ointment around the eyes. A decrease in brightness or color vividness should be immediately reported. Some double vision with both eyes open is not unexpected. All patients should be able to check their vision, even with eyelid swelling.