Every parent wants their baby to have big, bright eyes and be able to see the colorful world. But some children are destined to be angels in a different way, and they are found to have congenital cataracts at birth or soon after. The most significant manifestation of the child’s condition is that the pupil area turns from black to white (leukocoria). This condition is one of the main culprits of blindness or amblyopia in infants and children, and surgery is the only treatment option. But for children, surgery is only the first step in treatment; post-operative care and rehabilitation are also especially critical. What types of eye drops are commonly used after surgery? What are they used for? After congenital cataract surgery, four types of eye drops are commonly used: antibiotics, hormones, pupil dilators and corneal protectors. The antibiotic eye drops are anti-inflammatory and anti-infective. They are usually used for 3~4 weeks and gradually reduced according to the child’s recovery, with more drops at the beginning, about 4~6 times a day. The role of hormonal eye drops is to control inflammation and reduce post-operative reactions. They are also generally used for 1~2 weeks depending on the child’s condition, and if the child has no reaction, the dosage is gradually reduced until the drug is stopped. The purpose of a pupil dilator is to loosen the muscles in the child’s eye, put the tissues inside the eye at rest, increase blood circulation to the tissues inside the eye, and keep the pupil in an active state of dilation and narrowing to avoid iris adhesions. In general, for infants and children (usually within 2 years of age) who have only had their cataracts removed and no IOLs implanted, dilators are generally used for about 3 weeks; for children over 2 years of age and who have IOLs implanted at the same time, the decision on how long to use them will depend on the condition of the eye, which is generally 1 to 2 weeks. The younger the child, the greater the post-operative reaction, and the longer the use of the pupil diluent. Parents need to review their child’s condition whenever there is a change after surgery, especially within one month after surgery. After dilating the pupil, the child cannot see well and the glare can enter the eye directly, which can damage the retina over time. Some children have systemic adverse reactions to dilating medications, so they should not be used for a long time. The role of corneal protectants is to promote the growth of the corneal epithelium and wound healing, and to improve the discomfort of the eye after surgery. Is there an order of priority for using these eye drops? After surgery, children need to use so many kinds of eye drops a day, which one should be used first and which one should be used second? Generally speaking, there is no specific order between the eye drops, but there are a few things to keep in mind when administering eye drops. First, don’t take the drops when your child is crying to prevent the medication from flowing out with tears or causing accidental eye injury; second, it is best to space out each eye drop for 15 minutes to allow the medication to be fully absorbed before using another eye drop; third, let your child close his eyes for at least 5 minutes after each drop to promote the absorption of the medication. I suggest that parents try to use more drops when the child is sleeping and less or not when he or she is crying, depending on the situation, especially for children who are just a few months or less than a year old and who are not yet able to cooperate properly. What are the dangers of occasionally forgetting to order medication? Many parents often miss medication during the care process, either by using less or forgetting. It is recommended that parents be more careful and try to avoid this situation. For example, if the child is recovering well from the surgery and the post-operative inflammatory reaction is not severe, it is okay to miss the medication once or twice; if the child has a severe post-operative reaction and the parents still carelessly miss the medication several times, it is definitely not good for the child.