Changes in Direction of Eyelashes After Epiblepharon Surgery Using the Hotz Procedure

To analyze the change of direction of eyelashes after epiblepharon surgery using the Hotz procedure and to propose the appropriate correction amount to reduce the risk of undercorrection or overcorrection.

Surgical correction using the Hotz procedure was performed in 60 patients who then were followed for 3 months in Korea University Anam Hospital. Clinical photographs were collected before and after the correction to measure the angle of the lower eyelashes.

The average angle before and after correction was 38.5° and -24.1°, respectively. The lower eyelashes gradually became introverted, and the amount of angle change was 9.3° at postoperative 1 month ( P < 0.001). These lashes become slightly extroverted to -15.0° at 3 months after the correction.

Lower eyelashes become introverted to about 9 degrees after surgical correction. They become more introverted after operation when the epiblepharon is more severe and when they are more reconditioned to extroversion immediately after the operation.