BOTOX® Treatments From My Eye Doctor?
by Craig Lewis, M.D.
An ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgeon, or oculoplastic specialist, is an ophthalmologist who has completed additional training in plastic surgery as it relates to the eyes and their surrounding structures. Since such surgery on the structures surrounding the eyes can affect one's ability to see, ophthalmic plastic surgeons are best qualified to perform this delicate surgery and also provide any care that the eye itself may need. Oculoplastic specialists who are members of the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstruct Surgery are also Board Certified.
Oculoplastic specialists perform procedures that enhance vision and appearance. BOTOX® injections are one of tools Oculoplastic specialists use for both medical and cosmetic treatments. Ophthalmologists originally began using BOTOX® or botulium toxin type A in the 1980s as a way to treat strabismus, or crossed eyes, by relaxing two of the muscles surrounding the eye that are used to move the eye from side to side. It has also been used to treat eyelid spasms (blepharospasms).
People are often more familiar with the cosmetic benefits of BOTOX®, the temporary relaxation of the muscles that cause facial lines and wrinkles, as it is one of the most common cosmetic procedures performed in the U.S. My fellow oculoplastic specialist, Dr. Charles Rice and I use BOTOX® often for medical and cosmetic needs in our practice at Lansing Ophthalmology. We encourage you to schedule a cosmetic consultation with us to review what BOTOX® can do for you.