Overnight hospital stays are rare following blepharoplasty.  You will spend some time after the surgery in recovery, but only usually a couple of hours at the longest.  Have someone available who can take you home after your eyelid surgery.

Immediately after the surgery is completed your board-certified surgeon will wash and moisten your eyes with a special lubrication.  Additional bandages or cotton may be applied as well.  These usually come off when you leave.  As the anesthesia wears off, you may begin to feel a slight pain or discomfort that is treatable with pain medicine that you will probably have prescribed to you.  Blurred vision may also occur after surgery, but usually disappears with time.

You will want to rest immediately after surgery and do so in a comfortable place in your home with your head elevated for up to five hours.

Either you or your surgeon, or both, will use cold compresses to reduce the possibility of swelling and to numb any pain in your eye region.  Your doctor will discuss postoperative care with you and most of it can take place in the comfort of your own home.

During the first week following your surgery you will probably have some amount of bruising.  The bruising should not be severely painful or swollen, however.  This usually subsides after about a week of recovery. 

You will be in charge of keeping your eyes both clean and moist during your recovery period.  This can be done with a variety of medications and ointments but usually consists of a daily treatment involving hydrogen peroxide and bacitracin or other antibiotic ointment.  Regular eye drops can usually aid in keeping your eyes moist.

Any stitching that you may have had will usually be taken out after a couple of days, but may require up to a week of setting in.  The swollen sensation around your eyes will generally decrease following your stitching removal.

Your sight will eventually return to normal but the first few days will have some degree of sight related issues.  After a day or two, these problems usually disappear.  You will have to take off work, if you work, for about 10 days maximum.  This is to let your eyes recover from the stress of surgery and to avoid any additional strain on your wounds.  People do, however, return to their work schedules or normal activities as soon as three days after the surgery.

Strain or rigorous activity should be avoided for some time after your blepharoplasty, about four to six weeks.  This may include such minor activities as lifting or walking briskly.  Your eyes may be affected by other factors as well including light, wind, or other sight related concerns.   Sunglasses help prevent light exposure problems and may be effective in keeping particles out of your eyelid area as well.

Despite all of the precautions and stated risks, most blepharoplasty surgeries are performed without incident and with only a minimum of side effects and postoperative problems.  The positive outcome of this sort of eye surgery usually far outweighs any temporary bad side effects.  Discussion of all possible outcomes and follow-up treatments with your board certified plastic surgeon is key in making a complete and rapid recovery.