About how long is a typical eyelid surgery procedure?

Question:
My eyelid surgery is a week away and I need to tell my husband what time to pick me up from the hospital. About how long is a typical procedure?

Answer:
Upper eyelid surgery takes about an 45 minutes for both upper lids and perhaps even less.  Lower eyelid surgery can take about the same amount of time in younger individuals, but, in older individuals lower eyelid surgery can take up to 1 1/2 hours if there is significant skin excess, lower eyelid fat herniation, and lid laxity.  I like to keep my patients in the recovery room for about an hour after surgery to make sure that they are doing well before discharging them to a family member.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld