When Operating on the Brain Eyes Matter

Abstract

Eye protection during general anesthesia is essential to perioperative patient safety, especially in neurosurgery, where various head positions are used. Manual closure of the eyelids, taping them to keep them shut, ointments, goggles, soft contact lenses, and protective corneal shells are some methods tested and recommended for the protection of eyes in the perioperative period. Despite of these measures, the risks involved are eyelid bruising and edema owing to thinner skin on eyelids, poor barrier function, and poor surface lipids in the stratum corneum.[1] While rare, the most concerning and frequently cited eye injuries include corneal abrasion and blindness. Tegaderm (3M, St Paul, Minnesota, United States), a hypoallergenic latex-free adhesive with 0.03% incidence of ocular injuries by Anderson et al,[2] is commonly used to cover eyes in our institute.