Author Topic: Anyone use Blink-eze External Lid Weights?  (Read 17556 times)

Pembo

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Anyone use Blink-eze External Lid Weights?
« on: December 11, 2006, 01:18:29 pm »
Anyone have first hand experience with these? My pt recommended but my eye doc has never used them before. He is willing to try but I'm hesitant.
Surgery June 3, 2004, University Hospitals Cleveland, BAHA received in 2005, Facial Therapy at UPMC 2006

nancyann

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Re: Anyone use Blink-eze External Lid Weights?
« Reply #1 on: December 11, 2006, 01:22:01 pm »
Hi Pembo:
Never used them, I have the gold weight.   Am curious about it though, hope we hear more.

Do whatever you have to to protect your cornea.

Best wishes, Nancy
2.2cm length x 1.7cm width x 1.3cm  depth
retrosigmoid 6/19/06
Gold weight 7/19/06, removed 3/07
lateral tarsel strip X3
T3 procedure 11/20/07
1.6 Gm platinum weight 7/10/08
lateral canthal sling 11/14/08
Jones tube insert right inner eye 2/27/09
2.4 Gm. Platinum chain 2017
right facial paralysis

Pembo

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Re: Anyone use Blink-eze External Lid Weights?
« Reply #2 on: December 11, 2006, 01:27:37 pm »
This is a gold weight that you stick to your eyelid, like a bandaid.
Surgery June 3, 2004, University Hospitals Cleveland, BAHA received in 2005, Facial Therapy at UPMC 2006

palms0@hotmail.com

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Re: Anyone use Blink-eze External Lid Weights?
« Reply #3 on: December 12, 2006, 10:52:59 am »
yes my husband has been using them since the end of sept. i work for an ophthalmologist and they actually referred us to a plastic surgeon who fits them all the time. they work pretty well but i have to put it on for him. once you get the hang of it , it gets better. he wears it from the time he gets up till about 9:00 pm his lid gets tired i guess from the weight. we are thinking about a gold weight but are very hesitant since he has had so many side effects from surgery who wants to take a risk!!! it will be 5 mos on 12-20 since his surg his face has come back somewhat but the lid is really stubborn, we just keep hoping it will come back soon.
good luck
mary ellen
9mm retro sigmoid drs. evans and willcox jefferson hosp phila
facial palsy, external eye weight, headaches 24-7, incisional pain 24-7, balance issues
i was a 46 yo happy active man, now this surgery has ruined my life
I WANT MY LIFE BACK!
ps still have 4mm enhancing area :(

Pembo

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Re: Anyone use Blink-eze External Lid Weights?
« Reply #4 on: December 14, 2006, 09:04:24 pm »
Thanks Mary Ellen, I'm glad to hear from an actual user! My eye doc is ordering them for me and I am his first case. We'll see how it goes. He's only charging me for the actual weights, no office visits or anything since I'm the trial girl. Eyelid surgery just sounds nasty but I'm really tired of the half-blinking eye.
Surgery June 3, 2004, University Hospitals Cleveland, BAHA received in 2005, Facial Therapy at UPMC 2006

amymeri

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Re: Anyone use Blink-eze External Lid Weights?
« Reply #5 on: December 15, 2006, 09:06:54 am »
I used them for about a month.  It is hard to get the hang of putting them on in just the right spot so that they help you close your eye but don't cause ptosis or hang off the edge of the lid!

I found them helpful and a life saver for my dry eye.  Unfortunately they are small and tended to fall off and I lost mine!

Amy
Amy

4 cm right AN removed restrosigmoid 4/13/06
Partial facial paralysis, SSD and trigeminal numbness for now

palms0@hotmail.com

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Re: Anyone use Blink-eze External Lid Weights?
« Reply #6 on: December 17, 2006, 02:34:47 pm »
good luck with the weights, we are going to the dr tomorrow just to discuss a gold weight. the idea of another surgery is not appealing, but how long before the eye works??? we were very decisive people but ever since the an surg we can't make a decision to save our lives, since everything seems to have side effects.
mary ellen
9mm retro sigmoid drs. evans and willcox jefferson hosp phila
facial palsy, external eye weight, headaches 24-7, incisional pain 24-7, balance issues
i was a 46 yo happy active man, now this surgery has ruined my life
I WANT MY LIFE BACK!
ps still have 4mm enhancing area :(

palms0@hotmail.com

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Re: Anyone use Blink-eze External Lid Weights?
« Reply #7 on: December 18, 2006, 05:50:50 pm »
hi all we went to the dr's today the ophthalmologist put in a smart plug, a punctal plug that "melts" into your tear duct and stays there, until you hopefully don't need it anymore then it can just be flushed out, they have better luck with these than the regular plugs which tend to fall out for some people. then from  that dr we went to the plastic surgeon who is also an ophthalmologist about the weight he felt we should try a heavier weight 1.4 grams since my husbands face has come back somewhat in the past 5 mos, but on the same hand he said it's no big deal to put in a gold weight also. 1% chance of lid droop, infection etc. after all the side effects of the surgey we opted to keep the external weight and ordered a heavier one. we'll keep you posted on his progress.
we are also going to the neurosurgeon on wed for him to look at the incision per the plastic surgeons request, he felt maybe he is pushing out sutures but at 5 mos it's kinda unusual but then again everything seems to be "unusual" in our case. then we go to the headache clinic at jefferson again to see what they have to say. the 3 elavil seem to be keeping the ha's at a 4-5 down from a 8-9 on the pain scale. the indocin made him extremely tired.
i'm so lucky i work for understanding dr's i feel that is all we do is go to dr's now! we just want our lives back.
keeping all of the an'ers in our prayers.
mary ellen and don
9mm retro sigmoid drs. evans and willcox jefferson hosp phila
facial palsy, external eye weight, headaches 24-7, incisional pain 24-7, balance issues
i was a 46 yo happy active man, now this surgery has ruined my life
I WANT MY LIFE BACK!
ps still have 4mm enhancing area :(

amymeri

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Mary Ellen and Don
« Reply #8 on: December 19, 2006, 09:19:43 am »
Hi MaryEllen and Don

I just wanted to let you know that I have heard of many people pushing out sutures for longer than 5 months and some even years!  I pushed out sutures and my incision didn't totally heal because I had a suture abscess.  The plastic surgeon just opened up the non-healing area and voila he plucked out a microscopic piece of suture material and I healed up completely in a  matter of days!

Amy
Amy

4 cm right AN removed restrosigmoid 4/13/06
Partial facial paralysis, SSD and trigeminal numbness for now

redgrl

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Re: Anyone use Blink-eze External Lid Weights?
« Reply #9 on: December 19, 2006, 03:49:50 pm »
My doc is leaning towards a gold weight. I don't really want one. Can you see it? Do u notice its there? I have top and bottom tear ducts plugged and i notice the top one. kind of annoying.
4 cm left side AN. Translab Sept 20th 06 at virginia mason w/Dr. Backous & Dr. Nussbaum. Second surgery Oct 15th 06 to repair CFS leak.

Gennysmom

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Re: Anyone use Blink-eze External Lid Weights?
« Reply #10 on: December 19, 2006, 06:10:31 pm »
I just had (hopefully) my last suture push out and I'm at just over 5 months.  It started from the bottom of my incision and I'd get them one by one up to the top. 
3.1cm x 2.0cm x 2.1cm rt AN Translab 7/5/06
CSF leak 7/17/06 fixed by 8 day lumbar drain
Dr. Backous, Virgina Mason Seattle
12/26/07 started wearing TransEar

nancyann

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Re: Anyone use Blink-eze External Lid Weights?
« Reply #11 on: March 09, 2007, 03:53:10 pm »
I was thinking of asking my surgeon about this when I see him for my post op visit 3/15.
I'll have to go about 8 weeks without a weight.
When I looked up Blinkeze website, it didn't look like it was a big deal to put on,
but now that I've found this post again & read some of the feedback, they can be quite a chore to use.
Anyone have any further feedback about using them?  I'll have to put it on myself since I'm single.
2.2cm length x 1.7cm width x 1.3cm  depth
retrosigmoid 6/19/06
Gold weight 7/19/06, removed 3/07
lateral tarsel strip X3
T3 procedure 11/20/07
1.6 Gm platinum weight 7/10/08
lateral canthal sling 11/14/08
Jones tube insert right inner eye 2/27/09
2.4 Gm. Platinum chain 2017
right facial paralysis

Pembo

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Re: Anyone use Blink-eze External Lid Weights?
« Reply #12 on: April 27, 2007, 06:26:14 am »
I did get them and hated them. The weight was so big and bulky and noticable. I see my surgeon next week and I'm hoping for a consult with a plastic surgeon for a gold weight.
Surgery June 3, 2004, University Hospitals Cleveland, BAHA received in 2005, Facial Therapy at UPMC 2006

nancyann

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Re: Anyone use Blink-eze External Lid Weights?
« Reply #13 on: April 27, 2007, 12:26:25 pm »
Hi Pembo:  I asked my doc about them, he called the company & since the weight is made of gold he wouldn't order it for me since I had a reaction to the gold weight, geuss I'm glad I couldn't use them after reading your response !!!!
Good luck with the gold weight, they are wonderful, unfortunately I was one of the chosen few with a reaction to it.  I'll be having a platinum weight put in in about 2 months, once my lid heals.   The weights are wonderful !!!!
2.2cm length x 1.7cm width x 1.3cm  depth
retrosigmoid 6/19/06
Gold weight 7/19/06, removed 3/07
lateral tarsel strip X3
T3 procedure 11/20/07
1.6 Gm platinum weight 7/10/08
lateral canthal sling 11/14/08
Jones tube insert right inner eye 2/27/09
2.4 Gm. Platinum chain 2017
right facial paralysis