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Updated: Apr 10, 2026
Surgical Correction for Pediatric Epiblepharon and Trichiasis
Published on: July 8, 2025
Epidemiology of Oculoplastic and Reconstructive Surgeries Performed by a Single Specialist With 15 Years' Experience
Joonsik Lee1, Hyun Kyu Lee, Hwa Lee
1*Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul †Dongguk University, Ilsan Hospital, Goyang ‡Department of Ophthalmology, KEPCO Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
Purpose:
To evaluate the prevalence of oculoplastic surgeries performed in a tertiary hospital in South Korea and to highlight the proper choice of surgery according to disease.
Method:
Retrospective chart review was conducted over a 12-month period (March 2013 to February 2014) on all of the patients who underwent oculoplastic and reconstructive surgery by a single oculoplastic specialist with 15 years' experience.
Results:
A total of 656 patients were enrolled in the current study. Of them, 355 patients (54.1%) had eyelid surgery, 151 patients (23.0%) had orbital surgery, and 150 patients (22.8%) had lacrimal surgery. Orbital surgery was more commonly performed in men (122 male patients versus 29 female patients, P = 0.00 by Pearson chi-squared test) and was also more common in younger patients than in other surgery groups (56.3 years in eyelid surgery versus 39.3 years in orbital surgery versus 46.9 years in lacrimal surgery, P = 0.001 by Pearson chi-squared test). Blepharoplasty was the most common eyelid surgery, contributing 24.2% of total eyelid surgeries, followed by lid mass excision (68 patients, 19.1%), Hotz operation (59 patients, 16.6%), and levator advancement (47 patients, 13.2%). Among orbital surgeries, reconstruction of orbital wall fractures was the most common, and was performed in 89 patients (58.9%) of total orbital surgeries, followed by orbital tumor debulking surgery (25 patients, 16.5%) and orbital decompression for dysthyroid optic neuropathy (19 patients, 12.5%). Endoscopic endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) was the most common lacrimal surgery (84 patients), occurring in 56% of total lacrimal surgeries, followed by Monoka tube intubation (16 patients, 10.6%) for congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction and conjunctivo-DCR using Jones tube (12 patients, 8%).
Conclusions:
Eyelid-related conditions, especially cosmetic blepharoplasty, were among the most commonly encountered surgeries in the Oculoplastics Department of a tertiary care hospital in South Korea. Blowout fracture repair and endoscopic DCR were the most common in orbital and lacrimal surgery. The authors hope that the current survey will contribute to the surgical training of ophthalmology residents and, on a larger scale, health care policies.
