Effect of excision strip of Orbicularis Oculi Muscle during blepharoplasty on tear film break-up time

Abstract

Aim: to study the effect of orbicularis oculi muscle strip excision during upper blepharoplasty on tear film beak-up time comparing with keeping it intact.

Patients and Methods: A prospective interventional controlled study involving 21 patients visiting Ophthalmology Department - Almouassat University Hospital between 2020 and 2021 was divided into two groups: the first one consisted of 12 patients underwent upper blepharoplasty with OOM excision. The second group included 9 patient underwent blepharoplasty without OOM excision. All patients underwent slit-lamp examination and tear film break-up time test before surgery and week, month, three months after surgery.

Results: twenty-one patients underwent Blepharoplasty.66.6% of them were female and mean age was 64.03.12 patients in first group, mean value of (BUT) before surgery was 10.42. It became after one week of surgery 8.29, there was statistically significant difference . 9.63, 10.08 were (BUT) values after month and three months, there was still statistically significant

difference. 9 patients in second group, mean value of (BUT) before surgery was 10.89, it became 10.22 after one week of surgery, there was statistically significant difference. (BUT) values after month and three months were 10.72,10.83 and there was no statistically significant difference.

Conclusion: Excision strip of OOM during upper blepharoplasty affected (BUT) significantly, this effect dimensioned with time but still significant, so we recommend to keep OOM intact especially in patients with dry eye syndrome or at high risk to have it.