Eyelid Surgery
What are common eyelid problems?
Having an eyelid problem can be painful, limit your vision and affect your appearance. Many people have eyelid problems. They may include droopy upper eyelids, extra eyelid skin or eyelids that turn inward or outward. Fortunately, ophthalmologists can treat many types of eyelid problems with surgery.
What are some eyelid conditions?
Ptosis
Ptosis is when one or both of your upper eyelids droop. It can limit your peripheral (side) or central (straight ahead) vision. If you have ptosis in one eye only, your face may look uneven. If both eyelids droop, you can look tired.
Someone can be born with ptosis. In this case, a child may lift their eyebrows or tilt their head back to be able to see. Ptosis can seriously limit the development of sharp vision. When a child's eyelids are droopy or incorrectly shaped, both eyes usually do not focus evenly. They may need eyeglasses to see clearly. Ptosis can also develop later in adult life. It sometimes begins after having other types of eye surgery or eyelid swelling.
Blepharoplasty
Your eyelid skin is very thin and tends to stretch over time. Sometimes it stretches too much, causing excess eyelid skin. When this happens to the upper eyelid, it can limit your side vision. When lower eyelid skin stretches, you may have what some people call "bags" under the eyes.
Ophthalmologists can remove excess eyelid skin in a procedure called blepharoplasty. At the same time, the surgeon may also remove extra fatty tissue near the eyelid or tighten muscles and tissue. This surgery helps make the area around the eye and lid look more clearly defined. It also makes eyes appear less tired and more alert.
Ectropion/Entropion
When the lower eyelid droops down and turns outward, it is called ectropion. This can happen due to age, skin disease, a tumor, trauma, or a burn to the eyelid. Ectropion can make your eyes dry, watery and sensitive to light and wind.
If the lower eyelid turns in toward the eyeball it is called entropion. This condition can develop due to age, infection, or scarring inside the eyelid. When the eyelid turns inward, your eyelashes and skin may rub against the eye. This can make your eye red, watery and very irritated. If it is not treated, entropion may also lead to an infection on your cornea (the clear dome-shaped window
at the front of the eye).
Surgery for ectropion and entropion returns the eyelid to its normal position. This helps reduce painful and irritating symptoms and protects your eye.
Treatment Options
Nearly all eyelid surgery is done as an outpatient procedure. A local anesthesia will be used to numb your eye and the area around it. Before surgery, your ophthalmologist will do a complete eye exam and talk with you about treatment options. They may also take photos of your eyes and test your side vision. As with any type of surgery, there are possible risks and complications with eyelid surgery. Your ophthalmologist will discuss these with you.
Osheru Brings Ziplyft to South Dakota: Pioneer Surgeons Perform First Commercial Cases with Minimally Invasive Lid Lift Device
Aberdeen Ophthalmologists Dr. Bormes and Dr. Schnaidt Become First Surgeons in South Dakota to Adopt Commercially Available Ziplyft — with Company CEO and Inventor Present for Historic First Cases
ABERDEEN, S.D. — Osheru, the medical device company behind Ziplyft, today announced that two surgeons in Aberdeen, South Dakota have become the first in the state to perform cases using the commercially available Ziplyft device — a minimally invasive lid lift designed to outperform traditional blepharoplasty surgery. The milestone day of procedures was performed by Dr. Bormes and Dr. Schnaidt, with the CEO of Osheru and inventor of Ziplyft on site to personally support the surgeons through their first cases.
Dr. Bormes, a pillar of the Aberdeen medical community who has practiced ophthalmology in the region for over 30 years, performed six Ziplyft cases during the inaugural session. His junior partner, Dr. Schnaidt, did two cases of his own. In a fitting conclusion to a landmark day, Dr. Schnaidt performed the final case — doing Dr. Bormes own Ziplyft procedure — demonstrating the confidence both physicians had developed in the technique.
“Being in the room for Dr. Bormes’s and Dr. Schnaidt’s first Ziplyft cases was an extraordinary moment for our team. To see a surgeon with Dr. Bormes’s experience and standing in the ophthalmology community embrace Ziplyft with such confidence — and to end the day with him as a patient himself — speaks to the trust these physicians have placed in what we have built. South Dakota is just the beginning.”
— Dr. Patricia Buehler, CEO and Inventor, Osheru
Dr. Bormes is a respected figure in Aberdeen’s medical and civic community, having devoted three decades to serving patients in the region. His early adoption of Ziplyft reflects both his commitment to offering patients the most advanced care available and his confidence in the clinical data supporting the technology. Dr. Schnaidt, his junior partner from North Dakota who has now made South Dakota his home, brings a new generation of surgical expertise to the practice and was equally instrumental in the success of the day’s cases.
Ziplyft is backed by a rigorous split-face clinical study that directly compared the device against traditional blepharoplasty surgery on the same patient. The study demonstrated that Ziplyft delivers faster case times, significantly less bruising and swelling in the early postoperative period, and superior patient and surgeon preference for the Ziplyft side in both appearance and comfort — making it one of the most compelling head-to-head datasets in the minimally invasive aesthetics space.
Osheru launched Ziplyft for commercial sale on March 2, 2026, and is rapidly gaining interest in the ophthalmology community. The company is capitalizing on powerful market tailwinds: blepharoplasty has surpassed liposuction as the most commonly performed cosmetic surgery in the world, with approximately 500,000 procedures performed annually in the United States alone. The South Dakota experience launch furthers Osheru’s national commercial rollout as surgeon interest and adoption continue to accelerate.
“After 30 years in practice, I am always looking for ways to give my patients a better experience and better outcomes. Ziplyft delivers on both. The cases today went exceptionally well, and having the inventor present made the transition seamless. I am proud that our practice is bringing this technology to patients here in South Dakota.”
— Dr. Bormes, Aberdeen, South Dakota
About Osheru
Osheru is a medical device company dedicated to advancing minimally invasive surgical solutions. The company’s flagship product, Ziplyft, is a commercially available minimally invasive lid lift designed to provide patients and surgeons with a superior alternative to traditional blepharoplasty surgery. Backed by clinical evidence and strong surgeon adoption since its March 2026 commercial launch, Osheru is rapidly expanding its national footprint. The company completed a $7 million seed round in January 2026.
