〔Abstract〕 Objective To explore the application effect of sodium hyaluronate eye drops in the treatment of dry eye after cataract surgery. Methods 87 patients with dry eye after cataract surgery admitted to Jinjiang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine from February 2021 to June 2022 were selected as the study objects. According to different treatment methods, they were divided into a control group (pralofen eye drops plus dexamethasone eye cream, 43 cases) and an observation group (44 cases of sodium hyaluronate eye drops were added to the treatment of control group). The clinical efficacy, symptoms, signs and the occurrence of adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. Results After 2 weeks of treatment, the clinical scores of the observation group were significantly higher than that of the control group, the total effective rate was 95.45 %, higher than 79.10 % of the control group, the incidence of adverse reactions was 6.82 % significantly lower than 32.60 % of the control group, the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Before treatment, all quality of life scores in the two groups were lower, and there was no statistical significance between the two groups (P > 0.05). After 2 weeks of treatment, the quality of life of patients in the two groups were significantly higher than before treatment, and the observation group was higher than that in the control group, the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion Patients undergoing cataract surgery are prone to dry eye, and the treatment effect of sodium hyaluronate eye drops is better, which can relieve the symptoms of eye discomfort and is safe.