How to make an eye bandage

If someone close to you has recently undergone eye surgery, it will be useful for you to know how to make an eye bandage. After all, daily bandage changes in a medical facility are not always possible, and you can easily change an eye bandage yourself at home.

In ophthalmology, there are two types of bandages: binocular (when both eyes are affected) and monocular (when one eye is affected).

There are also two main ways to bandage the eyes. We will mention both methods so that you can decide which bandage is best suited for your individual case.

First method

This bandaging method is very simple, so preparing the eye bandage will take you only a few minutes. Fold a sterile gauze or sterile wipe several times. In the end, you should get a rectangular bandage 2.5×7 cm in size. This bandage should be applied to the affected eye and fixed on both sides with adhesive tape strips. One strip is attached to the patient’s cheek, and the other – on the forehead.

Of course, this method has its drawbacks. The tape is not very reliable, as it tends to peel off. And this usually happens at the most inconvenient moment. When making this type of eye bandage, it should also be remembered that the skin under the tape does not breathe, and removing the tape is usually quite painful for the patient.

Second method

Once you learn how to make an eye bandage this way, you will most likely decide to try this method, as it is much more convenient and causes far less discomfort for the patient.

This will be the so-called strip bandage. It is quite easy to make at home. You will need a piece of wide gauze long enough to wrap around the head, plus an additional 10–15 cm. Both ends of the gauze are cut into two strips of equal width. In the middle of the gauze, leave a 10 cm solid piece of fabric. The pre-prepared, folded several times sterile gauze or wipe should be applied to the affected eye. Placing it across and gently pressing the bandage with the solid part of the gauze, tie the gauze at the back of the head from both ends. This method is simple and reliable. In addition, such a bandage can be removed at any moment without causing discomfort to the patient.

If a similar binocular bandage is required (for both eyes), the solid part of the gauze strip should be at least 25 cm long. Everything else is done as in the first method.