The use of fibrin tissue adhesives in clinical practice has grown over the past 10 years, and there has
been increased use of adhesives in different surgical subspecialties. Conventional suture closure of
periorbital tissues is effective however may result in complications, which has led to the search for
other techniques and innovations. Although tissue adhesives have been used in clinical practice there
is a paucity of randomized controlled studies that have evaluated their advantages and disadvantage in
surgical practice.
The goals of eyelid surgery include the restoration of tissue structure and function while
causing minimal morbidity. The use of a medical product that induces physiological clotting and
fibrin formation is appealing in both theory and clinical practice. However fibrin tissue adhesives
present disadvantages and complications of their own. This thesis set out to evaluate the use of fibrin
tissue adhesives in eyelid surgery and includes a 5-year randomized control study comparing fibrin
tissue adhesives to suture closure of skin.
A challenge in the evaluation of eyelid surgery is the definition of a successful outcome.
Surgical outcomes have traditionally been measured by surgical complications and the need for
further redo surgery. Other relevant aspects of surgical outcome that have rarely been evaluated
include surgical healing and scar formation, asymmetry that is present however not requiring further
surgery, patient experience and satisfaction. This research set out to further define outcomes for
eyelid surgery to enable a more comprehensive and objective evaluation of surgical outcome
