Imagine breaking your arm and having a doctor put a cast on it to keep the bone safe while it heals. In a similar way, doctors sometimes need to protect your eye when it faces a severe injury, infection, or medical condition. By temporarily closing your eyelids, they give your eye the rest and safety it needs to heal properly.
In medical terms, this procedure is called tarsorrhaphy. While doctors usually perform this on just one eye, they can also perform it on both eyes if your condition requires complete protection and rest.
Key Takeaways
- Tarsorrhaphy temporarily or permanently closes your eyelids to protect your eye during severe healing.
- It acts just like a cast for a broken bone, giving delicate eye tissues essential rest.
- Doctors use various methods, including tape, medical glues, stitches, botox, or minor surgery.
- Most procedures are temporary, meaning the doctor will open your eye again after healing takes place.
- Following your doctor instructions and attending follow-up visits is vital for a safe recovery.
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Why Do Doctors Close Your Eye With Tarsorrhaphy?
Simply put, the main goal of this treatment is to prevent further damage to your eye. It creates a safe, moist environment where the surface of your eye can heal without outside irritation.
If your eye stays open all the time, exposure to dust, wind, and air can slow down the healing of a wound. Also, certain medical conditions make it impossible for you to close your eyes fully on your own. In those moments, tarsorrhaphy becomes a sight-saving treatment.
Are There Different Types of Tarsorrhaphy Procedures?
Yes, doctors use several different methods to perform this procedure. Your doctor will choose the option that best fits your specific eye condition by looking at a few important factors.
1. Based on How Long You Need Treatment
Depending on how long your eye needs protection, doctors divide this treatment into three main categories:
- Short-term temporary: This method lasts for just a few days or weeks to handle acute irritation.
- Long-term temporary: This can stay in place for months or even years, but doctors can reverse it later.
- Permanent: This method is usually irreversible and is reserved for very rare situations where the eye must remain closed for life.
2. Based on How Much of the Eye Closes
- Partial tarsorrhaphy: The doctor does not close your entire eye. Instead, they join just the outer corners of your eyelids together, leaving a small opening in the middle so you can still see through it.
- Total tarsorrhaphy: The doctor joins your upper and lower eyelids completely together to shut out all light and protect the entire surface.
3. Based on the Technique Used
Doctors use various techniques to keep your eyelids closed:
- Tape splints: Special adhesive strips hold the eyelids closed as a simple and non-invasive method.
- Medical glues: These are safe, medical-grade glues rather than household super glues.
- Sutures: Doctors use stitches that can either dissolve on their own over time or require removal by your doctor.
- Botox injections: Doctors inject OnabotulinumtoxinA into the muscle that opens your eye, causing a temporary relaxation that keeps the lid closed.
- Surgical procedures: In permanent or complex cases, a surgeon uses stitches or a small skin graft to join the eyelids together permanently.
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Check Availability →What Medical Conditions Require This Treatment?
Doctors recommend tarsorrhaphy for many different situations. Sometimes it treats an existing problem. This other times it prevents future damage.
| Condition Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Surface Eye Diseases and Injuries |
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| Eyelid or Globe Shape Changes |
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| Facial Nerve and Eyelid Issues |
|
What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of This Treatment?
Advantages
- Various choices: Your doctor can select a method that fits your personal comfort and medical needs.
- High success rate: Clinical success rates for healing damaged eye surfaces range between 80% and 100%.
- Damage prevention: It stops severe or permanent vision loss before it can happen.
- Reversibility: Most procedures are temporary, meaning your doctor can open your eye again once healing is complete.
Disadvantages
- Driving restrictions: You cannot drive until your doctor gives you clear permission.
- Vision changes: Closing your eye restricts your field of view, and a total closure blocks vision entirely in that eye.
- Skin allergies: Tapes or glues can sometimes cause mild allergic reactions on sensitive facial skin.
- Surgical risks: Methods involving stitches or surgery carry small general risks of pain, bleeding, or infection.
What Should You Expect After the Procedure?
During the procedure, your doctor will numb the skin around your eye so you will not feel pain. If you experience any discomfort afterward, your doctor can recommend simple pain relief medicine, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, to keep you comfortable.
Important Note:
Your doctor decides when your treatment period ends and when it is safe to open your eye. Always attend your scheduled check-ups so your doctor can monitor your progress.
What You Should Do and When to Call the Doctor
To get the best results from your treatment, follow these simple everyday rules:
- Never rub your eyes: Avoid touching or rubbing your eye. Rubbing can damage the stitches and slow down healing. Ask your doctor for safe ways to manage any itching.
- Follow medical instructions: Use any prescribed eye drops and wear protective shields exactly as your doctor tells you.
- Attend your follow-up visits: These visits are a crucial part of your recovery and should never be skipped.
When to Seek Emergency Help
Contact your doctor or visit the nearest emergency department (ER or A&E) right away if you notice any of these warning signs:
- Stitches feel loose, break, or come undone.
- You experience sudden, unexplained changes in your vision.
- New or worsening pain, swelling, or redness around your eye.
- Pus or thick discharge leaking from the closed eye.
In the US or Canada, call 911. In the UK, call 999 for immediate medical assistance.
Having your eye closed can feel frustrating and scary at first. However, remember that tarsorrhaphy is a safe and highly successful way to protect your vision from permanent harm. Your eye doctor will gladly answer your questions and guide you through each step of the healing process.
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