Long-term stability of transconjunctival midface lift surgery for postblepharoplasty lower eyelid retraction

Lower eyelid retraction occurring as a complication of lower eyelid blepharoplasty may give rise to symptoms of exposure keratitis as well as cosmetic considerations. This retrospective longitudinal study describes our clinical experience with 74 patients with bilateral lower eyelid retraction postblepharoplasty (148 eyes) undergoing a transconjunctival subperiosteal midface lift with the implantation of a hard palate spacer graft over the period 2002 to 2019. All patients had a forced-up traction test result of less than or equal to 2 mm, indicating a significant fibrosis of the middle lamellae. Margin reflex distances (MRD2) were examined at follow-up visits scheduled for 2 weeks, 1 month, and 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 years. Mean follow-up duration was ± 102 months (range 6 to 144 months). In all patients, MRD2 varied up until 1-year postsurgery and stabilized thereafter. Last follow-up MRD2 values indicated retraction improvements of 1.4, 2.4, and 3.2 mm, respectively, for those with mild: MRD2 6.3 mm [5.5 - 6.6], moderate: 7.0 mm [6.7 - 7.8], and severe retraction: 8.5 mm [7.9 - 9]. This improvement was statistically significant in patients with severe baseline retraction (p = 0.04). This approach proved to be safe and functional, and cosmetic results were excellent and remained stable over time.