Infraorbital Rim Implants Symptoms

Q: Dr. Eppley, I had Medpor orbital rim implants placed just over a year ago, and my experience with them has not been positive.

The left and right sides of my face were completely numb for 3-4 months, and since then the left side has been very tingly/sensitive to the touch with no improvement. My under eye areas also always feel irritated and “full,” almost as if I always have eyelashes in my eye. Since the operation, when I look straight down I see double, and I have noticed that I now have mild scleral show in my right eye. The muscles in my face/eyes are fully functional and I have feeling everywhere, just not 100% on the left side.

I have read that it is possible that the infraorbital nerves might be being compressed by the implants, and if that is the case, could removing them cause even further damage to the nerves? Also, would removing the implants after more than a year improve the symptoms I am experiencing? 

Thank you so much for your time and consideration.

A: You did not state how your infraorbital rim implants were placed based on the symptoms you are describing. Injury or compression of the infraorbital nerve causes sensory changes such as numbness. Scar tissue and too much volume can cause lower eyelid refraction and other eye symptoms.

Whether removing them will alleviate your symptomatic concerns can not be known beforehand. One piece of information that would be helpful would be a 3D CT scan which can show where the implants sit relative to the infraorbital nerve canal as well as the implant sizee and surface area of bone coverage.

The other factor in whether you should consider implant removal is their aesthetic outcome. If it is good then that should give one pause. But if they have not achieved the desired aesthetic effects and you have these symptoms as well then removal should be more strongly considered.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana