Oculoplastic surgeons help patients see well and look good
by Kathryn McNutt
Published: Wed, August 1, 2018 9:56 AM / Updated: Wed, August 1, 2018 9:57 AM
A New Year’s Eve car wreck that sent a patient through a windshield left him without a nose and frayed eyelids, but amazingly no abrasions on his eyes. Dr. Jeremy Tan said he spent hours removing shards of glass, cleaning and stitching.
As the swelling went down, Tan repaired the man’s fractured left eye socket. Another surgery lifted the left eyelid into proper position. In the end the patient had 20-20 vision in both eyes.
Trauma cases sometimes require creativity.
“You get what you get, and you have to figure it out when it falls in your lap,” said Tan, one of two doctors soon to join the medical staff at Dean McGee Eye Institute. The two new surgeons will triple patients’ access to oculoplastics services.
Oculoplastic surgery encompasses a variety of procedures that involve the eyelids, tear ducts, orbit (bony eye socket) and face. The work includes both medically necessary and cosmetic surgical services, and frequently blends the two.
Tan and Dr. Nathan Blessing will join Dr. Annie Moreau, who has been the only full-time oculoplatic physician at Dean McGee.
“The addition of Drs. Jeremy Tan and Nathan Blessing this summer will expand the range of ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgery options available to our patients, including cosmetic eyelid surgery, while strengthening our ability to serve trauma patients and others who come to us with conditions related to the tissues and structures surrounding the eye,” said Dr. Gregory Skuta, president and CEO.
