Are dry or watery eyes normal after blepharoplasty?

What's normal

StatPearls lists dry eyes as a common complication after upper eyelid blepharoplasty, especially in patients who also had ptosis repair, and notes many patients require daytime drops and nighttime lubricating ointment. AAO also lists dry eye among the possible complications of eyelid surgery.

Watery eyes and dry eyes are often the same problem. When the surface gets dry, the eye reflexively floods with tears, which then spill instead of coating properly. Incomplete blinking while the lids are swollen makes it worse.

The standard supportive measures are the same ones your surgeon already gave you. EyeWiki lists topical lubrication with artificial tears and a nighttime gel or ointment as needed, and an AAO ophthalmologist answering a swelling question after blepharoplasty advised cool compresses and tear drops with surgeon follow up.

Often noticeable in the first 1 to 2 weeks, improving over the following weeks, though some people need drops for a few months.

When it stops being normal

Call your surgeon if the eye becomes painful rather than just uncomfortable, if it is very light sensitive, if vision drops, or if you cannot close the lid fully at night. An exposed cornea can get scratched, and that needs treatment rather than more waiting.

AAO states that severe pain, decreased vision, and progressive swelling may represent retrobulbar hemorrhage and should be brought to immediate medical attention. Dryness that comes with those signs is not just dryness.