Ultherapy Under the Eyes: Where Treatment Stops Near the Eye

The current Ulthera System instructions for use list "eyes, eyelids, and within the orbital rim" among the areas to avoid during treatment, and warn against any location or technique where the ultrasound energy can reach the eye. The skin under the eyes lies inside the orbital rim, the bony edge of the eye socket, so it is outside the area the instructions describe. Where the indications mention the eye area at all, it is the eyebrow: "lift the eyebrow" is the first listed indication.

What do the instructions say about the eye area?

Section 2.3 of the Ulthera System instructions for use (document 1016413IFU Rev00, 2026) recommends avoiding five kinds of area during treatment: the thyroid gland, thyroid cartilage and trachea; major vessels and nerves; breast tissue; implants; and the eyes, eyelids and the area within the orbital rim. Section 2.4 repeats the eye point as a warning: the system "should not be used on a patient's eyes or in a location or technique where ultrasound energy can reach the eye, such as on or over the eyelids or within the orbital rim."

The indications in section 2.1 begin with lifting the eyebrow and go on to lax tissue under the chin and on the neck, lines and wrinkles of the décolleté, and skin laxity on the abdomen, upper arms and knees. The FDA 510(k) record K260618, whose FDA letter is dated May 21, 2026, carries the same list; the knees were the addition in that submission. The DeepSEE transducer images tissue to 8 mm below the skin, and the instructions give two uses for that image: checking that the transducer is coupled to the skin, and confirming the treatment depth, for example to avoid bone.

The eyebrow in the listed indications

Lifting the eyebrow is the first indication in section 2.1; the section 2.4 warning applies to every treated location. What studies measured on the brow, and how brow results appear in paired photographs, is covered in Ultherapy before-and-after photos.

Eye injuries in two eyelid case reports

In 2023, ophthalmologists in Brazil reported a woman of 47 whose eye pain and light sensitivity began during a focused ultrasound treatment around her right upper eyelid. Examination showed corneal infiltrates and severe anterior uveitis, an inflammation inside the eye. Her vision returned to 20/20, but at six months she had corneal opacities, iris atrophy and a lens opacity outside the line of sight^[1].

In 2025, ophthalmologists in China reported a woman of 32 treated on the outer third of the upper eyelid. She had eye pain, tearing and blurred vision during the session, then corneal opacities and iridocyclitis. Her vision recovered by day 95; the corneal opacities did not clear^[2].

Both treatments were given with Ultraformer devices, not the Ulthera System, and neither patient wore eye shields. Single case reports show what can happen, not how often. The authors of the 2025 report say protective eye shields should be used whenever the eye area is treated; the 2023 authors say eye protection should be considered for every patient.

If the skin under your eyes is the concern

Because the instructions draw the line at the orbital rim, hollows, puffiness or crepey skin under the eyes, and the eyelids themselves, are outside the area where Ultherapy energy is meant to go. Ask at consultation what can treat that area instead, and whether a brow treatment fits if the concern is heaviness above the eye.

1. Which areas around my eyes are in the plan, and where exactly will the treatment lines stop?
2. Will the transducer stay outside the orbital rim, including near the brow and temple?
3. Will the ultrasound image be used to check the depth before each line?
4. Will I wear eye protection during the session?
5. Whom do I contact if I notice eye pain, blurred vision or light sensitivity during or after treatment?

For the questions one Seoul clinic answers before a session, see Delight Dermatology Clinic's Ultherapy questions and answers. Who should not have Ultherapy at all is covered in candidates and contraindications.

Common questions