Blepharoplasty
It is important to be realistic about what blepharoplasty, or removal of this skin and/or fat, would obtain for you. It can result in actual medical improvement and significant enhancement of vision as well as cosmetic value. An easy way to determine what results can be achieved is to elevate your eyelids with your hand or with a piece of tape to the position they would be in following surgery. By looking in a mirror, you can then estimate what the post-surgery results would look like. This also gives you an opportunity to be able to ascertain if your vision would improve by the increased light that would enter the eye and by the decreased weight on your upper lid. By putting a piece of tape on the lid for an hour or two and then removing it, you would be aware of this change.
Since this is a gradual change, you may not be aware of the fatigue or discomfort resulting from this condition. Sometimes people get "tired" while reading or alter their pattern of living as a result of this subtle change. These are medical justification for the surgery. Many patients have these problems and we approach them when they are medically justifiable, as well as purely cosmetic. Lower eyelid "bags" are usually a family facial characteristic rather than an aging process. Removing wrinkles from the lower eyelid is only moderately effective, whereas removing "the bags" can be quite successful.
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One also must be careful not to remove too much skin from either the upper or lower lids because significant complications can develop. As with all surgeries, it is important to understand the risks, complications and alternatives before electing to do the procedure. You must differentiate clearly between the medical indication and the cosmetic indications. This is not merely for insurance carrier purposes, but so that you can fully understand and have a reasonable expectation of what you can hope to achieve with surgery. Having a reasonable evaluation pre-operatively leads to satisfaction post-operatively.