This patient had upper eyelid surgery for trauma performed elsewhere years earlier, after which she was unable to close her right eye. Despite some stretching of skin over time, there was still significant shortage centrally. The patient suffered from constant dryness and eye irritation.

She underwent a modified blepharoplasty to reshape the skin drooping temporally and nasally along with a full-thickness skin graft to restore the area of central shortage. (She also underwent lower lid blepharoplasty with chemical peel.)

Before	Five months after
Eye now closes fully	Graft edges outlined

Skin grafts in the upper eyelid can take between 6-12 months or more to heal well enough to become visually inconspicuous. Depending upon the nature and location of the skin shortage, the graft may be placed above or below the eyelid crease. The most common donor site is the skin in front of or in back of the ear or, if available, excess skin from the other upper eyelid.

Surgery by Dr. Frank Meronk