Implications of the effects of general anesthesia on basal tear production.

Ophthalmic preparations are frequently instilled topically to protect the eye during general anesthesia. The purpose of this study was to determine if such prophylactic precautions are warranted, as determined by the effect of general surgical anesthesia on basal tear production by the Schrimer I test. As general surgical anesthesia produced a marked depression of basal tear production, both mechanical protection and topical medications are recommended for the ocular care of patients undergoing general surgical anesthesia.