Dellen Following Blepharoplasty: Report of 14 Cases

ABSTRACT

We report 14 cases of dellen in 2000 blepharoplasties. The purpose of this article is to report rare complication of corneal dellen that developed after blepharoplasties. We observed 6 cases (0.5%) of dellen among 1200 patients who underwent upper blepharoplasty, and 8 cases (1%) among 800 lower blepharoplasty cases. Most patients who developed dellen were in their forties and fifties. All dellen were observed at temporal limbus, and accompanied conjunctival bleb. Most of the dellen developed in dry season (from November to March) and were frequently found in the middle-aged neurotic women who lived in apartments where room temperature is relatively high. Patching to the eyes, artificial tear and steroid eye ointment were applied to the dellen patients, who usually healed without corneal opacity within 2 weeks. In conclusion, we think that the cause of the conjunctival bleb and dellen are obstruction of small lymphatic vessels due to too meticulous hemostasis and too tight key suture in case of lower blepharoplasty.