Betsy Johnson and Meredith Baker, M.D., having a consult at Minnesota Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery Specialists (MOPSS). Photo: Chris Emeott
Minnesota Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery Specialists rejuvenate the windows to the soul.
Betsy Johnson is an active tennis player and golfer. The Edina resident says a couple of years ago, she noticed she wasn’t looking her best.
“I noticed that when I smiled, my eyelids were covering my lower eye lashes,” Johnson says. “My eyelids felt heavy, and I could feel the weight of them.”
She started talking with her family and close friends about it. As it turns out, the drooping eyelids she was experiencing was hereditary, running prevalently in her family. Her father had them too, along with her aunt and sister. In 2023, her father went so far as to have a blepharoplasty, often referred to as an eye lift, which minimizes the effects of droopy eyelids by removing excess skin in the eyelid. Not only was he having similar symptoms to his daughter, but it was starting to affect his peripheral vision due to the eyelids beginning to cover the outer corners of his eyes. Because of the amount his eyelids were affecting his quality of life, he was able to qualify to get the blepharoplasty covered by his insurance.
After seeing the almost instant improvement in her father following his surgery, Johnson started searching for a surgeon in Edina. She talked to a few of her closest friends, and as it turned out, a couple of them had also had an eye lift. She found Minnesota Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery Specialists (MOPSS), led by surgeon Meredith Baker, M.D., in Edina. Fortuitously, Baker was a family friend from when Johnson was growing up. With a personal connection and references from friends, Johnson called MOPSS to set up her consultation.
“The main reason patients have the blepharoplasty is because they are seeing a decrease in peripheral vision,” Baker says. “It’s a lovely, straightforward procedure with a subtle but meaningful change.” Blepharoplasty is an outpatient procedure that takes approximately one hour. Recovery is typically between one and two weeks with the final result appearing after several months. A majority of the patients who seek out the procedure are between the ages of 45 and 65. “The eyes are the first place we see aging,” Baker says. “Following surgery, you look lighter, brighter and better.”
“I wish I had done it earlier,” Johnson says. “I notice it in pictures, my eyelids aren’t drooping over my eyelashes.” Johnson qualified to have her surgery covered by insurance, and she had her procedure in February 2024. Once she had her consultation, the process went fairly quickly. “Dr. Baker is very meticulous and thorough with her work. She follows up before and after surgery,” Johnson says. “In fact, I was back playing tennis about eight days after my surgery.”
Minnesota Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery Specialists (MOPSS)
5201 Eden Ave. Suite 170; 952.925.4161
Instagram: @mopss_mn
