I have two maltese, too. As long as I comb out the hair by their eyes every day, they seem to be ok. I have also heard that giving them distilled water to drink can help. There is also something called fresh fur gel that a neighbor of mine used on her maltese.
Good luck, but I wouldn't do surgery. That would be putting your dog in unecessary pain, IMO.
__________________  ocmommyof2   Love my Delilah  , Joey , and Madison |