Eye Yay Yay!
Summary: The alleged low-down on droopy-eyelid surgery. Reporter: Michelle Wright, WTAE Channel 4 Airtime: 2 minutes, 52 seconds on July 9 Highlights: * When Wright dives in: "Yeah, how 'bout this? It might have happened to you slowly, so you don't really think a lot about it, but if your eyelids are droopy, surgery can do more than just make you look younger. It can also improve your vision, and that's why it could be covered by insurance." * When a female plastic surgeon explains what all the trouble's about: "It's as if you were trying to look out a window with the blinds half drawn and you just -- you lose half of what's around you." * When Wright reports, "Extra skin around [this 72-year-old man's] eyes made it hard for him to drive and read -- not to mention, he says, he looked old and tired. So we went to [this plastic surgeon] who did something to take 10 to 15 years off his face." * When the doctor explains, "When you see something in the mirror that bothers you, whether anybody else in the world recognizes it as bothersome or not, if you carry that with you on a daily basis, it's bothersome." * When a woman explains her droopy-eyed dilemma: "To me, this wasn't growing old gracefully. It was just a situation that needed to be remedied. I'm only 60 years old. I don't want to walk around with my eyelids down to my nose." * When Wright adds, "And she didn't have to." Well, that's a relief. * When Wright warns, "Droopy lids can happen at any age, but the condition usually affects seniors. If you wanna find out if you're a candidate, all you need to do is make an appointment with your ophthalmologist and ask for a ‘visual field test.' And here's the thing: Depending on your results, your upper-eyelid surgery could be covered by insurance. And that's what we wanted to let everybody know. So free eyelift!" Unanswered Question: Can an old man who's having trouble sitting because of his droopy ass get that covered? What We Learned: Plastic surgeons are right up there with politicos when it comes to rhetoric. News Value: 0. "Free eyelift"? Even if -- and that's a huge "if" -- you could get this covered by your insurance, you're most likely paying a nice premium out of your salary for that insurance. Plus, written into your insurance plan are unpleasantries like deductibles, co-pays and other uncovered expenses ad infinitum.
