Successful repair of a full upper eyelid defect following traumatic amputation by simply suturing it back in place

There is a general belief that a full-thickness eyelid defect is best repaired using a vascularized flap in combination with a free graft, and that a free full-thickness eyelid graft would not survive due to poor blood perfusion. However, we describe a case in which an upper eyelid was traumatically amputated. The eyelid was sutured in place and healed well in situ. The long-term outcome was good regarding motility and function. This raises the question of whether a blood-supplying pedicle is necessary for the survival of the graft when repairing large eyelid defects.