Assoc. Prof. Sumalee Vangveeravong

Assoc. Prof. Sumalee Vangveeravong (Thai: สุมาลี หวังวีรวงศ์) is an ophthalmologist working in Bangkok, Thailand. On this site she is categorised under oculoplastic surgery, the branch of ophthalmology concerned with the eyelids, the tissues surrounding the eye and the bony socket that holds it (the orbit). The hospital where she works files her under its Eye Center, with subspecialties given as General Ophthalmology, then Orbital and Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

She is documented at Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital, a public hospital in Bangkok Noi, at no. 2 Wanglang Road (postal code 10700). Our Bangkok page covers the city.

Two points are easy to miss. First, her training is in ophthalmology, so she should not be described as a plastic surgeon trained through the plastic surgery route; the two fields share some ground around the eyelids and orbit, but they are different routes of training. Second, the hospital profile we read names no individual cosmetic operations under her name. This page therefore sticks to what is documented and treats particular eyelid or orbital operations as questions for a consultation, not as a menu of services.

If an eye-area problem brings you here, send a request through our patient team using the consultation request form for Assoc. Prof. Vangveeravong. We relay it to the hospital, which decides what it can offer and when. Nothing is booked on our side until the hospital confirms.

The qualifications below come from her profile on the Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital website, listed in the order the hospital gives them.

• B.Sc., Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Thailand (1980).
• MD, Siriraj medical faculty, Mahidol University, Thailand (1984).
• Certificate in Proficiency (Board of Ophthalmology), from that same Siriraj faculty at Mahidol (1990).
• Certificate of Oculoplastic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, USA (1994).
• Certificate of Oculoplastic and Orbital Disease, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada (1995).
• Certificate of Ophthalmic Pathology, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA (2003). The hospital's page garbles the wording of this entry; we have given its evident meaning, so ask the hospital if you need the exact text for any paperwork.

Taken together, the list shows a science degree and an MD at Mahidol University, an ophthalmology board certificate in 1990, two overseas certificates in the mid-1990s covering oculoplastic surgery and orbital disease, and a later certificate in ophthalmic pathology, which concerns the microscopic study of eye and eyelid tissue. The 1995 certificate adds orbital disease to the oculoplastic focus, which lines up with the subspecialty named in her hospital listing. The hospital page does not say how long each overseas period lasted or whether it was a fellowship, so we describe them only as certificates.

The licence can be looked up on the Medical Council of Thailand's public register at checkmd.tmc.or.th, and our patient team can help you confirm it before you travel. We also did not find a membership list for oculoplastic surgeons, so we show no professional society memberships. That absence is a gap in our sources, not a statement that she belongs to none. If licence confirmation matters to you, use the Council's look-up yourself or have our patient team query the hospital for you.

The one practice documented for Assoc. Prof. Sumalee Vangveeravong is her post as an ophthalmologist in the Eye Center of Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital, with a focus on oculoplastic and orbital surgery. The academic title "Assoc. Prof." is shown as the hospital publishes it. We have not tied it to a department at a university.

We state no years of practice, case volume or outcome rate. None appears on the sources we may rely on, and a number would be a guess. The years in the training list mark when certificates were awarded, which says nothing about how often she performs a given operation today.

No journal papers are listed for her. The lack of a publication list on this page reflects that gap in our search and is not a verdict on her scholarly work.

What this means in practice: when you speak with her or with the hospital, ask directly about the operation you have in mind, how often she performs it and who else will be in theatre. Those answers are better evidence of fit than a title.

Under subspecialty, the hospital names orbital and ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive work as well as general eye care, and its profile records the orbit as an area of interest. The notes below explain, in general terms, what these areas can cover so you can judge whether your concern might fit. They are general information, not a list of operations she performs.

Eyelid problems. In general, oculoplastic surgeons see upper eyelids that droop, loose or heavy eyelid skin, lids that turn inward or outward, and lid changes after injury or disease. Patients thinking about a cosmetic change often read about blepharoplasty, upper eyelid surgery, lower eyelid surgery and ptosis correction. Our guide to blepharoplasty gives this general description: surplus skin, muscle or fat is taken away or moved from the top lids, the bottom lids or both together, often to reduce hooding or under-eye bags and sometimes to clear vision blocked by heavy lids. It adds that the operation is usually performed with local anaesthetic plus sedation (a general anaesthetic is another option) as a day case, and that international patients commonly stay five to seven days in Thailand. Those points are general guidance from pages that are still awaiting independent medical review, and your own plan may differ. Ptosis, the medical term for a lowered upper lid, can be present from birth or develop later, and the right operation depends on the cause and on how well the lid muscle works, which is why it needs an examination. Separately, the hospital's plastic surgery department names eyelid surgery among its services; that describes the hospital's department, not Assoc. Prof. Vangveeravong's own practice.

The orbit. The orbit is the bony socket in which the eye sits. In general, orbital surgery can relate to injuries to the socket, a change in the position of the eye, growths or inflammation around the eye, and rebuilding after surgery or trauma. This is where oculoplastic surgery differs most from cosmetic plastic surgery, and it is a reason a person with a medical or reconstructive eye-area problem may need an oculoplastic surgeon instead of a general cosmetic surgeon.

Reconstructive work. The word reconstructive in her listed subspecialty points to surgery that restores structure or function around the eye rather than purely changing appearance. If you have had earlier eye-area surgery, an injury or a medical diagnosis, say so at the start so that your request is directed properly.

Suitability needs assessment. Whatever operation is under discussion, whether it is suitable depends on an examination of your eyes and eyelids, your health and your goals. All surgery carries risk, and eye-area surgery carries risks specific to the eye, which a surgeon should explain to you in person.

What is not documented. None of these operations is named against her in the sources, so no procedure page on this site is linked to her. If you are travelling for a particular operation, ask for written confirmation that she will be the surgeon who performs it.

In general, an oculoplastic consultation begins with your history and an examination of the eyes and lids, because the position of the lid, the state of the tear film and your vision all bear on what is safe. The prompts below are general suggestions, not a description of how Assoc. Prof. Vangveeravong runs her clinic.

• Is my concern functional, cosmetic or both? A lid that narrows your field of view is a different matter from a wish to remove surplus skin, and the answer can alter what is advised.
• Which operation is proposed, and who will carry it out? Ask for the procedure to be named, for confirmation that she will operate herself, and for an explanation of which parts of the visit, such as eye measurements, other team members may handle.
• Which risks apply to me? Surgeons commonly discuss asymmetry, dry or irritated eyes, scarring and the chance of further surgery. Ask which of these matter for your eyes and history rather than accepting a generic list.
• What are the alternatives, including doing nothing? A sound consultation sets out options you are free to decline.
• What will recovery involve for my eyes? Patients commonly ask how long swelling lasts, when they can drive or look at screens, when contact lenses can go back in and which symptoms should prompt a call to the hospital.
• What follow-up will I need, and where? Eye-area surgery usually needs check-ups. If you will fly home, ask what is sensible to do abroad and what your own eye doctor could take over.

If you have a known eye condition, bring scans or reports from your own doctor. Mention blood-thinning medicines, dry-eye disease and any previous eye surgery early, because each can change how eyelid surgery is planned.

Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital is on Wanglang Road, Bangkok Noi; the hospital's contact page is our source for the address. The pages we read mention no overseas-patient desk, no interpreters and no languages for her, so we cannot say whether a consultation in English is available. Put that question to our patient team before you plan travel, and they will ask the hospital.

On accreditation, the hospital's own accreditation page lists JCI accreditation with a validity date of 17 November 2026. That is the only source we have, and the date is near enough that you should ask the hospital for its current status when you plan.

For general city information, see our Bangkok guide. Ask our patient team for hotel, transport and visa guidance for this hospital. Before booking flights, ask the hospital how many days it wants you in Bangkok for assessment, any surgery and the first check-up, and fit your travel around that answer instead of a typical figure. Our blepharoplasty guide says patients commonly stay five to seven days for eyelid surgery, but that is general guidance and not a plan for any one person.

In general, the more precise your information, the more useful the first reply will be. For eyelid and eye-area concerns, helpful items are:

• Clear photographs in daylight: face on with eyes open and relaxed, with eyes closed, looking slightly up and slightly down, and one from each side. Take them without make-up or glasses. A surgeon who wants another angle will ask.
• A description in your own words of what bothers you and when you first noticed it. For a lowered lid, say whether it has been there since childhood or appeared more recently.
• Your medical history: eye conditions, dry eye, thyroid disease, allergies, current medicines (blood thinners especially) and any earlier surgery or injury around the eyes.
• Reports from your own eye doctor if you have them, such as a recent prescription or imaging.
• Your travel dates, so timing of the consultation and follow-up can be raised with the hospital.
• Your questions, drawn from the consultation list above, so none are forgotten on the day.

Hold back passport scans and payment details from the first message; the team will tell you if and when they are needed.