Is Eyelid Surgery Right for You?

Almost everyone will experience it at some point: drooping eyelids. An eyelid correction can then offer a solution. The extent to which this occurs varies greatly from person to person and is also largely hereditary. Drooping eyelids can give you a tired appearance or even cause you to become fatigued more quickly. This is a shame, as there is plenty that can be done about drooping eyelids. A healthy, fresh appearance does wonders for the overall impression you make. It is therefore no coincidence that eyelid corrections are among the most common procedures in plastic surgery. I would like to tell you more about eyelid corrections. Do you have drooping upper eyelids? When you suffer from an excess of skin and/or fat in the upper eyelids, an upper eyelid correction is often performed. Such a treatment carries relatively few risks. An upper eyelid correction is a very rewarding procedure because an excellent result is achieved with minimal burden to the patient. The eyes are a very important part of our appearance and, when the operation has been carried out skilfully, your gaze will look considerably fresher and more energetic. What you can be reimbursed for How much you are reimbursed for a treatment to the eyelids depends on your insurer and the extent to which your eyelid droops. Since 1 January 2005, an upper eyelid correction has been removed from the basic insurance package. Health insurers have determined that an eyelid correction is cosmetic and therefore reimburse almost no operations. A few years ago, eyelid corrections were occasionally reimbursed under basic insurance if the eyelids drooped to such an extent that vision was impaired. Since 2011, these rules have been tightened further, meaning reimbursement under basic insurance is virtually non-existent. Even complaints such as fatigue or headaches are now insufficient to obtain reimbursement from basic insurance. Since an eyelid correction is virtually no longer reimbursed under basic insurance, various health insurers offer supplementary insurance policies. These primarily involve discount schemes or partial reimbursement, unless the most expensive supplementary insurance has been chosen. Strict criteria often also apply to reimbursements from supplementary insurance. For instance, at least 50% of the pupil must typically be covered by the drooping eyelid, and the lower edge of the upper eyelid must hang 1 millimetre above the centre of the pupil when looking straight ahead in a relaxed state. To determine whether you are entitled to reimbursement from your insurer, you should submit an application to your health insurer.