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Swollen Eyes After Nasal Septal Surgery. Normal?
Question: i had open septal surgery on the 12th and was suppsed to have my stints pulled out on the 15th but the doctor decided to not pull out. he figured it was to soon. he scheduled me have them taken out on the 27th. but today i woke up with a swolen eye is this normal?
Hi,
Thank you for your query.
1. In the immediate post operative period, nasal packing may be used over 48 to 72 hours to minimize bleeding and maintain pressure on the septum to prevent collection of fluids and blood within the nasal septum.
2. Nasal stenting may be done with these nasal packs or with separate nasal splints and stents. It is not clear what packing / stenting has been used in your case. Dedicated nasal stents prevent adhesions (synechiae) from developing in the nose after surgery.
3. A swollen eye is sometimes seen after surgery. It usually subsides on it's own. The cause of the swollen eye depends on the timeline and severity. If it appears immediately after surgery, it signifies excessive tissue handling during surgery, sometimes as a result of excessive bleeding, where it may also appear as a black eye. A black eye will result from trauma to the lateral wall of the nose and not from septal surgery alone. If the swollen eye appears much later, it may be due to the nasal stenting and packing. This will subside faster after removing the nasal pack /stent.
4. You doctor can also decide after looking for other signs such as pain, red eye and so on. I recommend that you should be on intravenous antibiotics if you have a nasal pack in place. Pure nasal stents can be left in the nose for one to two weeks.
5. Nasal packing is usually not required after 72 hours, unless excessive bleeding was encountered during surgery. This is fairly common.
6. You may discuss these points with your surgeon.
Hope I have answered your query. If you have any follow up queries, I will be available to answer them. Please accept my answer in case you have no follow up queries.
Regards.
Thank you for your query.
1. In the immediate post operative period, nasal packing may be used over 48 to 72 hours to minimize bleeding and maintain pressure on the septum to prevent collection of fluids and blood within the nasal septum.
2. Nasal stenting may be done with these nasal packs or with separate nasal splints and stents. It is not clear what packing / stenting has been used in your case. Dedicated nasal stents prevent adhesions (synechiae) from developing in the nose after surgery.
3. A swollen eye is sometimes seen after surgery. It usually subsides on it's own. The cause of the swollen eye depends on the timeline and severity. If it appears immediately after surgery, it signifies excessive tissue handling during surgery, sometimes as a result of excessive bleeding, where it may also appear as a black eye. A black eye will result from trauma to the lateral wall of the nose and not from septal surgery alone. If the swollen eye appears much later, it may be due to the nasal stenting and packing. This will subside faster after removing the nasal pack /stent.
4. You doctor can also decide after looking for other signs such as pain, red eye and so on. I recommend that you should be on intravenous antibiotics if you have a nasal pack in place. Pure nasal stents can be left in the nose for one to two weeks.
5. Nasal packing is usually not required after 72 hours, unless excessive bleeding was encountered during surgery. This is fairly common.
6. You may discuss these points with your surgeon.
Hope I have answered your query. If you have any follow up queries, I will be available to answer them. Please accept my answer in case you have no follow up queries.
Regards.
Note: Consult an experienced Otolaryngologist / ENT Specialist online for further follow up on ear, nose, and throat issues - Book a Call now.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Jyoti Patil
Answered by
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