Clinical Impact of a Novel Light-Transmitting Ocular Dressing in Children After Bilateral Strabismus Surgery: A Prospective Quasi-Experimental Study.
Children given light-transmitting eye dressings were more likely to stay calm after strabismus surgery.
Clinical Impact of a Novel Light-Transmitting Ocular Dressing in Children After Bilateral Strabismus Surgery: A Prospective Quasi-Experimental Study.
Nontransparent ocular dressings used after bilateral strabismus surgery deprive children of visual input, often provoking crying, causing premature dressing removal, and increasing caregiver burden.
This study evaluated the effectiveness of a self-developed, novel light-transmitting ocular dressing in improving postoperative experience and alleviating caregiver burden.
Were alternately assigned according to admission week to either a light-transmitting dressing group ( n = 60) or a conventional nontransparent dressing group ( n = 60).
children stayed calm and cooperative after surgery, far more than with standard dressings
Caregiver burden scores were significantly lower (30.30 ± 3.12 vs 36.51 ± 4.20, p < 0.001), and the unplanned dressing-change rate was reduced (3.33% vs 18.33%, p < 0.01).
After adjustment for demographic and surgical variables (procedure type, number of muscles operated, and operative duration), dressing type remained an independent predictor of comfort (β = -2.04, p < 0.001) and caregiver burden (β = -6.36, p < 0.001).
The light-transmitting ocular dressing effectively improves comfort after bilateral strabismus surgery in children, reduces crying/agitation and caregiver burden, and lowers the need for unplanned dressing changes.
By preserving postoperative visual input, this design offers an effective nonpharmacological strategy to mitigate postoperative psychological stress in children and warrants broader clinical adoption.