[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Nursing](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/) › [Medical–surgical nursing](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/med-surg/) › Cataract and retinal surgery: eye drops, the shield, positioning and warning signs # Cataract and retinal surgery: eye drops, the shield, positioning and warning signs - Safe practice After eye surgery the nurse protects the eye, teaches clean eye-drop technique, helps keep the ordered head position and teaches the warning signs. Updated Nov 13, 2026 ## Key points - Cataract surgery is outpatient; someone else drives the patient home and the follow-up is usually the next day. - The patch or shield stays on as the surgeon orders; hands are washed before and after every eye drop. - After a gas-bubble repair, the head stays face down or turned to one side for days or weeks, as ordered. - With a gas bubble in the eye, no flying or travel to high altitude until the bubble has dissolved. - New flashes, floaters or a curtain over the vision may mean retinal detachment: care within 24 hours. ## What it is Cataract surgery removes the clouded lens and usually puts in an artificial lens; it is a short outpatient operation, normally under local anaesthesia, with a follow-up visit the next day and about two weeks of recovery. Retinal detachment is urgent: new flashes, floaters or a curtain over the vision need care within 24 hours. It is repaired with laser, a gas bubble (pneumatic retinopexy), a scleral buckle or vitrectomy. Nursing care after both operations is protection of the eye, clean eye-drop technique, the activity limits the surgeon sets and, after a gas bubble, the head position and the ban on flying. The patient also learns the signs that need a call to the surgeon. ## What it requires - The eye to be operated on is confirmed and marked as the surgical safety protocol states. - Eye drops are given as ordered, to prevent infection, reduce inflammation and aid healing. - Light activities only; the surgeon decides when strenuous activity, sex and driving can resume. - Soap and water are kept out of the eye for the first few days. - Dark sunglasses are worn outdoors after the patch comes off. ## Components - Before surgery: identification of the eye and a driver for the way home. - Protection of the eye: patch or shield, no soap or water in the eye. - Eye-drop technique and timing. - Head position and travel limits after a gas bubble. - Warning signs and follow-up. ## How it is applied (and why) - Confirm the eye to be operated on with the patient and the record, as the surgical safety checklist requires. - Check that someone will drive the patient home: the patient cannot drive after the operation. - Keep the patch or shield on as ordered until the follow-up visit: it protects the healing eye. - Teach hand washing before and after drops and not to touch the dropper tip to the eye or lashes: it prevents infection. - Teach one drop into the lower-lid pocket, eyes closed for 2–3 minutes, and at least five minutes between different drops. - Remind the patient to keep soap and water out of the eye and to follow the surgeon's limits on activity. - After a gas-bubble repair, help the patient keep the ordered head position for the whole time: the bubble must press on the retina. - Teach no flying or high-altitude travel until the surgeon confirms that the bubble has dissolved. - Teach the warning signs and how to contact the surgeon: early care protects vision. ## In nursing practice - Rare complications of cataract surgery are infection and bleeding, which can cause lasting vision problems. - Risks of retinal repair include bleeding, raised eye pressure, infection and incomplete repair needing more surgery. - Vision after cataract surgery may not be perfect when other eye disease, such as macular degeneration, is present. - For daily care of a person with low vision, see sensory alterations; for drop technique, see the other routes of administration. ## Common mistakes - Touching the dropper tip to the eye, the lashes or another surface. - Giving two different drops one after the other without waiting. - Letting the patient lie on the back when a face-down position was ordered. - Discharging a patient with a gas bubble without teaching the ban on flying. ## Test yourself Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it. ## Why must a patient with a gas bubble after retinal repair keep a set head position? The bubble has to press the retina back into place; the head stays face down or turned to one side for days or weeks, as ordered. ## Why may a patient with a gas bubble in the eye not fly? Flying or travel to high altitude is avoided until the bubble dissolves, as the surgeon confirms. ## Which symptoms suggest retinal detachment, and how fast is care needed? New flashes of light, new floaters or a curtain or shadow over part of the vision; care is needed within 24 hours. ## How long should a patient wait between two different eye drops in the same eye? At least five minutes, unless the instructions for a specific drop say otherwise. [Add to my cards (4)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/nursing/cataract-and-retinal-surgery-eye-drops-the-shield-positioning-and-warning-signs/) ## Connections ## Related 2 - [Other routes: inhaled, topical, eye, ear, rectal and vaginal](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/other-routes-inhaled-topical-eye-ear-rectal-and-vaginal/) - [Sensory alterations: deprivation, overload and caring for people with vision or hearing loss](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/sensory-alterations-deprivation-overload-and-caring-for-people-with-vision-or-he/) ## Related conditions 2 - [Cataract](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/cataract/) - [Retinal detachment](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/retinal-detachment/) [← All of nursing](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/) Educational content for students; it does not replace your institution's protocols, supervised clinical training or a prescriber's order. Dose-calculation examples use made-up numbers: they are educational, not a clinical order. Sources: [Cataract removal](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002957.htm) (MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025); [Retinal detachment](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001027.htm) (MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025); [Retinal detachment repair](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002960.htm) (MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025); [How to use eyedrops](https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a601171.html) (MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025). ## **Spotted a mistake?** We are always improving for the community. Tell us what is wrong and our team will review it. Report a mistake Representative model, for educational purposes only. --- Source: https://durgical.com/en/nursing/cataract-and-retinal-surgery-eye-drops-the-shield-positioning-and-warning-signs/ License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/nursing/cataract-and-retinal-surgery-eye-drops-the-shield-positioning-and-warning-signs/