Pain management and intraocular pressure monitoring following phacoemulsification

Abstract

Phacoemulsification is the gold standard procedure for cataract removal in veterinary patients. Registered veterinary nurses involved in the care of patients undergoing this surgery should be aware of potential complications postoperatively and tailor their nursing considerations to individual patients. Pain assessment in ophthalmic patients should take a different format to that in traditional soft tissue or orthopaedic surgeries, and monitoring of intraocular pressure is an important part of postoperative care. This report aims to discuss these nursing interventions for a patient nursed in a referral hospital setting.