Dry Eye in Upper Eyelid Surgery: Muscle Versus Fat Removal

The aim of this study is to compare the effects of two different surgical techniques (Orbicularis Oculi excision and Orbicularis Oculi + Fat excision) applied in upper blepharoplasty surgery on dry eye and to evaluate the effects of these techniques on ocular surface health. 142 patients (71 patients in each group) who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria between 01.05.2025 and 31.12.2025 in Mersin City Education and Research Hospital Eye Diseases Clinic will be included in this study. This study is a prospective, survey study and aims to evaluate the effects of two different surgical techniques (Orbicularis Oculi excision only and Orbicularis Oculi + Fat excision) applied in upper blepharoplasty surgery on postoperative dry eye symptoms. The study will be conducted on patients who are currently scheduled for upper blepharoplasty surgery and no additional surgical procedures or interventions will be applied to the patients. Data collection will be done by a survey study and retrospective recording of routine clinical examinations.

The collected data will be used to analyze the differences in dry eye parameters between the two surgical techniques. OSDI scores, BUT times, Oxford staining degrees, Schirmer test results and visual acuity values will be compared at pre- and postoperative time points. Differences between groups will be analyzed by one-tailed independent samples t-test and p<0.05 will be considered significant. These analyses will be performed to determine the effect of surgical techniques on dry eye symptoms.