Can I Get My Mild Hypertelorism Fixed?

Q: Dr. Eppley, is there any surgery that can fix my case of mild hypertelorism as an adult, or a surgery that can at least make my mild hypertelorism appear less pronounced?”

A: The question is not whether there is any surgery to treat any form of hypertelorism, as there is (orbital box ostoetomies) , but whether such surgery is appropriate for the degree of hypertelorism one has. For a grade 1 hypertelorism orbital box osteotomies in a child or adult represent a ‘solution that is bigegr than the problem’. Surgically that means the tradeoffs for doing the surgery (scars, bony irregularities as well as other risks) may be viewed aesthetically worse than the mild hypertelorism.

More limited orbital box osteotomies have their role in mild to moderate hypotelorism (widening) but they don’t work well for narrowing.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World Renowned Plastic Surgeon