Cleaning your eyes before surgery

This leaflet has been written as a guide to help you clean your eyelids before eye surgery. Please read the information carefully before you come to hospital for your procedure.

Why have I been given this leaflet?

We may ask you to clean your eyelids, if:

• you have early signs of infection, when the eye is viewed as minute scales under a microscope; or

• we have diagnosed you with blepharitis.

You may not have symptoms, but we would not continue with your surgery if we can see any evidence of either condition. Both greatly increase the risk of patients developing an infection after their surgery.

Why do I need to clean my eyes before surgery?

We ask all patients to clean their eyelids before their eye procedure / surgery. This is to prevent any problems at the time of their operation, as infection could be transferred from your eyelids into your eye. This does not guarantee that you will not get an infection, but it will minimise the risks.

Why do I need to do this if I do not have any symptoms?

Sometimes there are signs of an infection that we can see under a microscope but that do not cause us any problems.

It is important that you follow these cleaning instructions, so that an infection does not cause you a problem in the future.

Please follow the instructions below when cleaning your eyelids

1. Hot compresses (if advised by your consultant or nurse)

   Soak a clean face cloth in warm water, as warm as your eyelids can take. Apply it to your closed eyelids for 5 to 10 minutes. It may be necessary to re-heat the cloth repeatedly. This should not only feel good but will make any debris on your lashes easier to remove. Once you have completed stage 1 you need to move onto points 2 or 3 below.

2. Baby shampoo

   Dilute four drops of baby shampoo to a quarter cup of boiling water then allow the solution to cool, or

3. Bicarbonate of soda

   Dissolve half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda into half a pint of boiled water. Allow the solution to cool.

4. Dip a cotton bud into the solution of diluted shampoo / bicarbonate of soda. Paint the solution along your eyelid edges. Clean your eyelids, eyelid edges, and eyelashes with a side to side motion (see image below).

I have been prescribed anti-inflammatory ointment, how do I apply this?

We may have prescribed you an anti-inflammatory ointment. Apply this to your eyelid edges with a clean finger after the cleaning highlighted above. At bedtime, place a quarter of an inch of the ointment inside your lower eyelid.

The ointment will only work if you remove the crusts around your eye first.

What if I start to show signs of infection before my surgery?

Signs of infection include redness, discharge, and itching. If we are not already treating you for these, please tell the hospital immediately. We may need to cancel your operation until the problem has been resolved.

What if I have to cancel my operation?

Please ring the waiting list co-ordinator as soon as possible (see phone numbers below).

Contact details

• Kent and Canterbury Hospital, Canterbury

  • Waiting List Co-ordinator Telephone: 01227 866444

  • Ophthalmology Suite Telephone: 01227 783021

• Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEQM) Hospital, Margate

  • Waiting List Co-ordinator Telephone: 01843 234364

  • Day Surgery Telephone: 01843 234458

• William Harvey Hospital, Ashford

  • Waiting List Co-ordinator Telephone: 01233 616757

  • Channel Day Surgery Telephone: 01233 616263

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