Eye Muscle Surgery

Your child had eye muscle surgery to straighten their eyes. The surgeon moved, tightened, or loosened the muscles that are attached to the eye. Your child had
general anesthesia, which is a type of medicine that makes them sleep during surgery.

After Surgery

  • Your child may be sleepy for 3 to 4 hours after surgery. This is normal.
  • They may have a tummy ache (nausea) or throw up (vomit).
    • Don’t give drinks or food when your child is nauseous. This may make them throw up.
    • Offer them clear liquids 1 to 2 hours after coming home. Clear liquids include water, apple juice, or Sprite®. Babies may drink human (breast) milk or formula.
    • When they can keep liquids down, you can give them food. Wait until your child says they are hungry. Start with foods like bananas, toast, or chicken noodle soup. Avoid fried foods or dairy until they have no nausea after eating.
    • If they can’t keep liquids down at all, call your child’s surgeon.
  • For 2 to 3 days after surgery, your child may have:
    • Pain, soreness, or a scratchy feeling in the eye(s). It might feel like there is an eyelash or sand in their eyes.
    • Eyes that are sensitive to bright light.
    • Sticky or gummy crusts on their eyelashes. This discharge is called mattering.
  • For a few weeks, they may have:
    • Red eyes. As the redness goes away, the white of the eyes might look yellowish, like a bruise on your skin that is healing.
    • Have double vision (seeing 2 things when there is only 1).

It may take many weeks for the eyes to look straight. The eye needs to heal, and the brain needs to adjust to the new way the muscles work.

Preventing Infection

  • Your child may need to use antibiotic eye drops or ointment the first week after surgery. Wash your hands well before putting drops or ointment in their eyes.
  • Wash your child’s hands often. Tell them not to touch their eyes with their hands. If they need to rub itchy eyes, they can rub them gently with a clean washcloth or tissue.
  • Use a clean washcloth with warm water to wipe away any mucus or crusts on the lashes. Don’t rinse eyes with water for 24 hours after surgery.
  • Your child can take a shower or sponge bath 24 hours after surgery. No tub baths for one week. Your child should not have any dirty water splash in their eyes.
  • Avoid dusty or dirty activities like playing in sandboxes.
  • No swimming for 1 to 2 weeks.

To Give Comfort

  • Ice can help with discomfort. Cover a bag of ice or frozen peas with a dry washcloth. Have your child lie down. Place (don’t press) the ice pack on their eyes for 10 to 15 minutes. You can repeat this every hour for the first day.
  • For the first 2 to 3 days after surgery, dim the lights and close curtains or blinds to make the room darker.
  • For the first week after surgery, have your child wear sunglasses outside.
  • Give pain medicine as needed. Read the directions on the labels to know the right dose for your child. Your child shouldn’t need pain medicine after 3 to 4 days.
    • For all children, give acetaminophen (Tylenol®).
    • For children older than 6 months, you can give ibuprofen (Motrin®, Advil®). You should give this medicine with food.

Activity and Limits

  • If your child wore glasses before surgery, they’ll probably still need them after surgery and should start wearing them the next day.
  • Check with your child’s doctor or health care provider about what activities are allowed.
    • The day of surgery, plan to stay home with your child. Have them rest and stay calm. They can use computers, play video games, and watch TV.
    • After 24 hours, they may go back to their normal activities. No rough play, contact sports, swimming, or playing with something that could hit their eye for at least 2 weeks.
    • Make sure they’re steady when walking. If they have double vision, they should avoid activities that risk them falling, like riding a bike.
  • Your child may return to school or childcare the day after surgery. Make sure that there is someone who can put the antibiotic drops or ointment in their eye(s).

When to Call the Doctor

Call your child’s doctor or health care provider if they have:

  • A temperature over 100° Fahrenheit (F) or 37.8° Celsius (C) in the first 24 hours after surgery.
  • Discharge (mattering) that gets worse after 2 to 3 days or turns yellow or green.
  • Increased pain, even after taking pain medicine, or they have pain after 3 to 4 days.
  • Nausea and vomiting that keeps them from drinking or eating for more than 8 hours after surgery.

 

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Helping Hands™ Patient Education Materials

Helping Hands™ are easy-to-read guides about different illnesses, therapies, surgeries, and more. They’re created by the Patient Education team at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and are reviewed and approved by clinical staff, like nurses, doctors, pharmacists, and psychologists. Nationwide Children's Hospital is not responsible for misuse of information in patient education materials, including Helping Hands.

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