How to remove a pressure dressing
Date issued: October 2023
Review date: October 2025
Ref: A-448/RLM/REIDaycase/How to remove a pressure dressing v4
PDF: Removal of pressure dressing following surgery final October 2023 v4.pdf[pdf] 167KB
Some patients require a pressure dressing after eyelid surgery.
This dressing is to help minimise bruising/swelling/bleeding following surgery to the eyelid and surrounding structures.
What to expect from the eye pad?
Once the anaesthetic that has been injected around your eye has lost its numbing affect, the dressing can feel rather uncomfortable. This is due to it being a tight multi layered dressing using strips of Elastoplast® with gauze and a non-adhesive dressing underneath.
You are normally advised that this dressing needs to stay in place for 12-24 hours post-surgery. If however, the eye becomes very painful and it feels like the dressing is rubbing on the eyeball, It is important to remove the dressing immediately and phone the day case unit 01752 439350
Because of the tightness of the dressing and the pressure applied we advise you to take your usual pain relief (if you take any) to help you to tolerate the discomfort whilst the dressing is in place.
If you do not take pain relief as a rule, we suggest that you take two Paracetamols (1 gram) and two Ibuprofen (400mg), if you are able to take them, TOGETHER once you start to feel any sensation or the start of pain or before you go to bed. Always eat something BEFORE taking ibuprofen. Continue to take pain relief as needed over the next few days. It is also a good idea to take pain relief 20-30 minutes before removing the dressing pad.
Removing the eye pad
Removing the eye pad and cleaning the eye needs to be a clean procedure. By this we mean that you need a clean surface to put all that you need to use on: firstly clean down the surface that you are going to use. Boil some water in the kettle pour it in a small pot and allow it to cool. Wash your hands thoroughly. You will also require clean tissues, cotton pads or gauze, your eye ointment and some tape.
The Elastoplast ® used in the dressing is very adhesive and will stick well to your skin and itself. DO NOT PULL HARSHLY to remove this dressing as you could cause damage to the skin around your eye socket.
The tape should be removed by lifting the tape away from the forehead and pulling gently downwards, at the same time you need to gently pull the skin in the opposite direction to the dressing (upwards). This will apply “counter traction”. You do not have to pull hard on the skin just enough to give some tension which makes removing the tape easier.
The removal should start at the top of the dressing above your eyebrow and work around and down to your cheek area, on both-sides, ending with the bottom part of the dressing being loosened last and removing the whole dressing tape as one pad. If the top part of the dressing is very stuck it is OK to start removing it from the sides instead.
After this remove the gauze and non-adhesive dressing taking care not to disturb the wound or stitches as much as possible.
You may find that there is some debris left from the Elastoplast® stuck to you skin after removing the dressing, use some warm previously boiled water and a clean face cloth and rub the debris away, trying not to pull or rub on the eyelid. Use the cooled boiled water and cotton pad/tissue to gently clean the wound. Do not rub or pull on the eyelid.
Cleaning the wound
Try to leave the wound/stitches alone for the first week, but if you do need to clean the wound use cooled boiled water and a cotton pad or clean tissue, dipped into the water and wipe from the inner corner to the outer corner of the wound/stitch line as gently.
Avoid washing your hair for the first seven days if possible and shower from the shoulders down. Use the plastic shield at night time for the first week after surgery, to protect the eye whilst you are sleeping, so that you don’t rub or accidently poke it.
Using the antibiotic ointment
You will be given some Chloremphenicol antibiotic ointment to go home with, this is for use on the wound, but it is safe to use in the eye also so do not panic if it goes in there.
Wash your hands thoroughly and dry them, then squeeze some ointment out onto a clean little finger and apply directly to the wound. Do not rub this into the wound, but pat it on gently.
What will my eye look like after surgery?
It is quite normal for the eyelid to be significantly bruised & swollen for the first few weeks after surgery, DO NOT WORRY it will improve.
It may be helpful to gently apply a cold compress with a bag of ice or frozen peas, wrapped in a clean tea towel for 5 minutes 4 times a day.
Start this 48hrs AFTER your surgery; however, if you are at all worried or anxious about doing this, it is not essential.
