As one of the main eyelid surgeons in Denver Colorado, I have seen that it can be difficult for patients to find a qualified well trained cosmetic or noncosmetic eyelid surgeon in the Denver metro area. There are two reasons for this.
Lack of awareness of eyelid specialty – Oculoplastic Surgeons who are certified by ASOPRS or American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic Surgeons are few and far between in Colorado. There are many patients and even doctors who are unaware of the specialty of oculoplastic surgeons. As a result they seek help from non-specialists.
Self Proclaimed Specialists – Legally it is ok for any doctor to self proclaim themselves as “eyelid specialist”. Some doctors who have taken a weekend course can self proclaim themselves as “a Denver eyelid specialist”. The only true specialists are those who have completed an ASOPRS fellowship which involves a written exam, oral exam and thesis for membership.
What are the consequences of having an untrained surgeon perform your surgery? In the most experienced hands, eyelid surgery is complex and tricky. In inexperienced hands it can be fraught with complications. More important than that are cases where patients have a missed diagnosis and eyelid surgery is carelessly performed. Examples that I have seen in just the last year include:
Operating cosmetic eyelid procedures on patients in the active stage of Graves
Misdiagnosing an eye socket tumor as “drooping of the eyelid”
Treating orbital tumor with “eyedrops” believing it to be pink eye
Misdiagnosing lymphoma of the eyelid as “aging changes”
Performing cosmetic eyelid lifting in patients with eye disease that contraindicates it
To find an oculoplastic surgeon in Denver the best advice is to search for one. Ask your doctor about “eyelid specialist” in your area. Alternatively one can look up ASOPRS website to find a certified oculoplastic surgeon in Denver.
Some of the simple problems that ASOPRS oculoplastics surgeons (specialists of the eyelid, tear duct and eye socket) treat are:
Blepharoplasty
Eyelid Lifts
Browlifts
Graves disease
Low eyelid
High Eyelid
Eyelid Retraction
Eye Socket Tumors
Orbital Fractures