Adult Squint Surgery

This procedure is performed as a day surgery under general anaesthetic.

Before surgery:

The hospital will advise on the fasting regime and appropriate time of arrival. The general guidelines are fasting 6 hours prior to surgery as the surgery is under a general anaesthetic.

On the day of surgery:

Your anaesthetist will review you prior to surgery. The surgery will take about 1 hour. If the operation involves only 1 eye, a pad may be placed over the eye after surgery which is best removed the following morning. Once you have had time to recover from the anaesthetic and tolerated food and fluids, you will be discharged home.

Post-Operative Care:

Post-operative drops will be prescribed. Please put 1 drop from each bottle, 4 times a day for 2 weeks after surgery. The day after your surgery your recovery can be varied, some patients require simple analgesia such as Paracetamol for 1-2 days. You may be more comfortable wearing sunglasses outside.

What to Expect after the surgery:

It is normal for the eye to water and feel scratchy. It will also often have a superficial bruise on the white of the eye where the muscle was operated on. This will settle over the next few weeks. How straight the eyes are, is noted best a few days after surgery and some people do experience some double vision the first few days after surgery. A review in the rooms will be organised 1-2 weeks after surgery.

Dos and Don’ts:

You are allowed to read or watch television as much as is comfortable.

After a bath/shower pat the face dry.

Do not go swimming for 1 month after surgery.

Do not do gardening or work in a dust/ windy environment for 2 weeks after surgery.