General care for eye surgeries

Preoperative care
-

If both eyes are to be covered after surgery, the patient needs to be oriented
to the staff and the physical environment prior to surgery.
The child should practice having the eyes covered to decrease postoperative
fear and restlessness
If both eyes are covered or if vision is greatly restricted, the call light should
be placed within the reach of the patient.
The preparation of the eye on the day of the surgery may include the
instillation of combination of drugs into the eye at various intervals to DILATE
the pupil

Postoperative care
General Goal of Postoperative Care

To prevent
o Increased intraocular pressure
o Stress on the suture line
o Hemorrhage into the anterior chamber (hyphema)
o Infection
Immediately after the operation, the patient must keep the head still and try
to avoid coughing, vomiting, sneezing or moving suddenly
The patient should lie with the unoperated side down to prevent pressure on
the operated eye and to prevent possible contamination of the dressing with
vomitus
The patient may lie on the back or unoperated side but not on the stomach
or operated side.
A burning sensation about one hour after surgery usually means that the
anesthetic is wearing off
The patient is instructed to avoid lifting the head or hips, straining at stool, or
squeezing the eyelid
If sneezing or coughing occurs, the patient should follow through with
the open mouth
If vomiting occurs, the eyelids should be kept open. Cough medicines
and antiemetics can be given for cough and vomiting; stool softeners
and laxatives for constipation
To prevent stress on the suture line, bending forward is avoided.
- Sudden jerky movements may result in hemorrhage into the posterior
chamber (hyphema)
Side rails are placed on the bed immediately postoperatively and are kept on
while both eyes are covered or as long as necessary for protection
The bedside table should be placed on the side of the unoperated eye so that
the patient can see it without excessive movement of the head.
Care is taken that the dressing is not loosened or removed.

 Bleeding and serous fluid should be minimal. Edema of the eyelids

subside within 3 to 4 days. The feeling of Something in the eye 34 to
5 days postop usually is because of sutures and is normal.
Sensation of pressure within the eye and sharp pain are quickly
reported to the surgeon. These indicate bleeding.