Post‑op Squint

After the operation

Your eye will feel gritty as though something is in it for a couple of hours while the ends of the stitches soften.

The normal pain relief you use can be taken for any discomfort. You will be given some antibiotic and steroid eye drops to use at home for around four weeks. Your eyes will be blood-shot and quite red over the muscle(s) that were operated on. The redness will go over 1-2 weeks, though there may be a persisting pink area on the white of your eye for weeks to months after a squint operation.

If you had a prism on your glasses before the operation, this will most likely need changing or removing altogether afterwards. It needs to be removed on the day of surgery and the need for a prism will be reassessed at your post operative appointment.

There is no need for the stitches to be removed after your operation as they will dissolve naturally over 3-4 weeks. Normally, the eye is not padded. In some cases, an adjustable stitch is used so that final adjustments can be made when the general anaesthetic has worn off. This will have been discussed and agreed with you before the operation. Adjustment is needed in a minority of cases.

You can return to work as soon as you feel able. People who work in a dusty environment may be more susceptible to irritation. If you have any concerns about returning to work, please ask an orthoptist or ophthalmologist.

We would recommend that you avoid swimming for four weeks after surgery.

Follow-up

You will be given an appointment for a video consultation around 3 weeks after surgery for the healing to be reviewed. The link will be in the text / letter. An appointment will made in clinic after this dependent on your condition / symptoms.

When will we know if the operation has been a success?

Potential complications of squint surgery

The aim of your surgery will be discussed with you beforehand. The aim may be to slightly under or over correct, dependent on the size and type of deviation. Squint surgery is not an exact science and the planned result may not be achieved. This can generally be helped with further surgery and/or prisms.

• Some people may experience new double vision after their operation. The possibility of this will have been discussed with you before surgery. The double vision is often transient. If it remains troublesome, please contact us.
• Problems with wound healing occur occasionally (1 in 100). This may be evident as a pink lump (granuloma) or white strand of tissue (prolapsed connective tissue). These problems usually settle without any specific treatment. Rarely, an operation is required to remove the lump.
• Rarely, there may be a small visible scar or cyst at the site of the operation.
• Infections may occur requiring further eye drops but are uncommon.
• Loss of sight following a squint operation is extremely rare occurring in 1 in 15,000 – 30,000 cases and is linked to infection and bleeding.

Frequently asked questions