Should I Do Vertical Orbital Dystopia Correction Before Cat Eye Surgery?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I have an issue where my right eye is lower than my left eye. I also have an issue that my eyes are droopy looking from one side which is my left. So I decided that I wanted a cat eye surgery to help me to be confident. I am going to Iran in a couple weeks time & I am going to get the corner of my eyes drilled for the cat eye. However I know that my eye is still going to be vertically not aligned. I messaged another doctor and they said there could possibly be a risk if they perform the procedure on me to get it to be vertically aligned. In real life you can’t tell unless you stare at my eyes. most people do not even know that they are like this. but in pictures it always comes out 10x worse and it just makes me feel insecure. is there any way to fix this problem ? Sorry for the long message and thank you doctor.

A: In vertical orbital dystopia (VOD) the eye is lower because the bone underneath it (orbital floor and orbital rim) are lower than the other side. This may also affect the cheek as well. A 3D CT scan would be needed to determine the exact shape of the bone underneath it to best determine how ti build up the bone to raise the eye. The upper and lower eyelids are also lower so that has to be addressed as part of the surgery as well. The two eyes are never going to be perfectly symmetric but significant improvements can be obtained.

Whether you elect to treat your VOD has an impact on Cat Eye surgery. If you are going to treat the VOD, Cat Eye surgery should be done after.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana