Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery is a specialized area of ophthalmology that deals with the management of deformities and abnormalities of the eyelids, lacrimal (tear) system, the orbit (the bony cavity surrounding the eye), and the adjacent face.

An ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgeon is an ophthalmologist (medical doctor and eye surgeon) who has completed additional training in plastic surgery as it relates to the eyes and their surrounding structures.

Membership in the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery is restricted to ophthalmologists who have been board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and who have also passed rigorous tests in this specialized field.

The word plastic is derived from a Greek word that means to mold or to give form. Plastic surgery is surgery that molds or reconstructs parts of the human body. Ophthalmic plastic surgery is plastic surgery that is limited to the structures surrounding the eye. Since such surgery can affects 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.

Fellowship in the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery indicates the surgeon has a special interest and training in this subspecialty, and that he or she is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology or its equivalent.

 

** Reproduced with permission from asoprs.org.