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Date issued: September 2021 

Review date: September 2023 

Ref: C-413 v4

PDF: Trabeculectomy - Glaucoma related operation.pdf[pdf] 432KB

Going Home

Have a restful afternoon/evening

When the local anaesthetic wears off you may be aware of a little discomfort, and your eye may water/and or feel gritty, especially when you blink, this is perfectly normal. It is usual to want to rub your eye accidentally after an operation, but please don’t.

Take either your usual painkillers or 1-2 paracetamol if required.  DO NOT TAKE EXTRA ASPIRIN AS PAIN RELIEF, but do continue with your usual prescribed dose as normal

If you are at all concerned about your eye or if you have severe pain, headache or nausea, please contact one of the numbers highlighted on the reverse of this leaflet.

The pad and tape are flammable so please keep away from cigarettes and naked flames

Judging distances can be difficult with one eye covered so try not to bump into anything on your operated side.

Please take great care when walking up/down steps, stairs, kerbs, in and out of cars as you will not have a depth perception and things may not be where you think they are. Use a handrail or someone’s arm.

Also be extra careful when crossing the road

Avoid cooking or pouring hot liquids if possible. If you live alone and do have to make your own hot drinks, place the cup into the sink/bowl and then pour the boiling water into the cup. Also ensure cups and plates are not put near the edge of the table.

Dos & Don’ts  

You have just had a trabeculectomy/MMC/Bleb needling/iStent/a glaucoma surgery and should treat your eye gently and follow the instructions below for the best chance of successful surgical outcome.

You will be going home with a pad and shield dressing to your eye; you will need to wear this for the first night only. You must take the whole dressing off on the first morning following surgery, throw the padding away, but keep the plastic shield to put over your eye every night for at least the first week, to prevent rubbing of the eye during sleep.

When do I come back the hospital?

Most glaucoma patients are asked to return to the hospital to see their consultant the following day. Before returning to the hospital you must take off all the dressing.

Don’t be surprised at the appearance of the operated eye. The white area may be red/pink in colour and your pupil could be big as it may well be still dilated; this is all perfectly normal. You need to clean the eye (see page 6) and apply a set of drops as instructed in the drop charts.

If you are Mr Booth patient, this is usually arranged between his secretary and yourself, (prior to surgery) and your follow up is usually in his clinic on level 3 REI. Please allow at least an hour for this appointment.

Go to the REI reception on level 3 and present them with the slip that we give you.

This appointment is to perform a pressure check. If the pressure inside the eye is higher than the surgeon would like you will be prescribed extra drops or tablets. You will need to go to Boots pharmacy (next to multi-storey car park), which opens after 8.30am, to collect.

Time………         Date………         

Consultant/Dr……………………….

In extremely rare instances patients may need to be monitored and brought to the REI Day Case Unit for the morning, where treatment will be given and then monitored.

A further check will be needed in 2 (Two) to 4 (Four) weeks’ time to check the progress of the operation

What to look out for during the time the eye is recovering?

• The eye is more painful

• Red and/or sticky eye 

• Loss of vision

 When should I be able to drive?

You must not drive for at least a week after surgery or until your surgeon says that you can

If you do drive during this time, you may not be covered by your car insurance and if you have an accident during this time you may well be prosecuted.

Cleansing our eyelid and lashes

YOU MUST NOT WASH YOUR EYES AS YOU NORMALLY DO when washing your face for the first week after your operation. You must not get any soap, shampoo, shower gel or tap water in to the operated eye. These can all irritate the eye and lead to infection.

We advise that you shower from the neck down and do not wash your hair for at least a week post-surgery

Your eye does not need to be washed unless it becomes crusted or sticky. The eye drops you have been given sometimes leave a little white crust on your lashes. If your eye does need cleaning, please follow these instructions:

• Use only freshly boiled water that has cooled in a clean container.

• Moisten a clean folded tissue, cotton pad or gauze pad by dipping it into the water. Do not use cotton wool, cotton balls or cotton buds.

• Wipe gently across your closed eyelids from the inner corner to the outer corner of the eye and throw away the tissue or cotton pad.

• Repeat this with a clean tissue or cotton pad until the eyelid feels clean.

• Throw away any unused water and dry the container for future use.

There should be no pain when you clean your eye

Putting in drops

• Wash and dry your hands.

• Invert the bottle gently twice.

• Sit or lie comfortably with your head resting back or to the side and your eyes looking up to the ceiling.

• Place the bottle between your thumb and middle finger (second) finger and rest your thumb nail on the bridge of your nose, with the nozzle pointing towards the eye.

• Squeeze the bottle between your thumb and second finger or tap the bottle base with your first finger until a drop falls into your eye (this may take a moment). It may be easier to use your left hand for right eye and right hand for left eye.

• Dab any excess away from the cheek.

• Close the bottle and keep it in a cool place (some drops do need to be kept in the fridge; we will advise you on this).

• Wash your hands again.

You will be advised as to whether you need to continue to take your usual eye drops or not.  If so, you will be told to use fresh unopened bottles into the operated eye.

You can use ready opened drops into your un-operated eye. You will need to label your bottles LEFT & RIGHT to prevent cross infection occurring

REI DCU phone tele: 01752 439348

(Monday to Friday, 8am to 7pm) Contact us for the first week AFTER surgery only, during opening times for any advice

REI Urgent Care phone tele: 01752 439330

(Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 6pm and Saturdays 9am to 1pm) AFTER the first week following surgery

OUT OF HOURS Please ring hospital switchboard 01752 202082. Switch board will take a message from you, they will then contact the on call ophthalmic Dr who will then ring you back