Oestreicher James H Dr

Had a really good experience with Dr. Oestreicher and his team! Would recommend checking out the reviews on rateMDs :) Truly a great surgeon

I waited to write this review as I wanted some time to go by to be able to properly give feedback, not only on the surgery and recovery, but more long term. I had upper and lower blepharoplasty. I am 42 years old (41 at the time) and suffer from Graves Opthalmopathy. I never dreamed I would ever do such a surgery, but over the years, my eyes suffered pain, pressure, some protrusion and of course, unsightly puffiness both above and below resembling a woman’s eyes twenty years older. I have been wearing glasses for several years and that helped dramatically with appearance, but I got to a point where I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror without feeling sad. Along with improving the appearance of the eyes, I had no idea that after the surgery, the pains I would get in my eyes (sometimes piercing) and the pressure in the whole area would completely disappear, which made the whole endeavour even more worth it. It has been almost a year since my initial consultation and I can confidently say I am very pleased with the results!
My experience was extremely positive right from the first visit at the consultation. Having no idea what to expect, I ended up booking a surgery date then and there. Dr Oestreicher was very calm, professional and friendly. His bedside manner throughout the whole process was amazing. He made me feel very comfortable and was available and supportive throughout the recovery and beyond. Once the date was booked, I started to psych myself up about the surgery. I was afraid of the fact that I wasn’t going to be completely under. When the date came, I was as ready as I could be, and it was actually an interesting experience. Dr Oestreicher froze the area continuously, we chatted the whole time, there was some flashing and sounds of course, some tugging, but no pain, and before I knew it, it was over! I followed the preparatory instructions beforehand, and was all set up at home for recovery.
The day after the surgery, the swelling started. It was quite substantial. I iced all day and still it was very, very bad, but that lasted a few days, then the swelling started to move down the face until it eventually went away. I also had chemosis in one eye, then the other and I was given steroid drops to clear that up, and it did. I took a few extra strength Advil and nothing more. There was no need to. All in all, the recovery was what I expected and I made about 4-5 more visits to the Dr’s office over the next few weeks. I haven’t been back since a follow up appointment four months after the surgery.
Now, after nine months, I can say that I am completely satisfied with the outcome. For a time, the eyelids were very numb and that gradually went away. Also for a time, I wouldn’t be able to rub the eyes (not that I wanted to) even though they say you should be able to after a few weeks. I felt achy in the upper area for months but it was nothing to complain about. Now it is completely fine. Lastly, for a time, one eye appeared larger than the other slightly, but now they look great. I feel it takes time for everything to settle after (any) surgery. I am very happy I did the surgery, very happy I selected the right Dr (thanks to the many amazing reviews and referrals from other professionals). I didn’t do the surgery to have younger eyes, I just wanted to have eyes for my age, with less pain, pressure and puffiness. The before and after images are incredible. I can smile at myself again, with or without glasses – I even started wearing contacts occasionally. THANK YOU Dr Oestreicher – I would do it again in a heartbeat.