Objective To explore the application effect of clinical nursing pathway in the prevention of postoperative complications of lower eyelid entropion in the elderly. Methods A total of 48 elderly patients with lower eyelid entropion who were treated in our hospital from March 2022 to December 2023 were randomly divided into control group and experimental group, with 24 patients in each group. The control group was given routine nursing, while the experimental group was given clinical nursing pathway on the basis of routine nursing. The incidence of complications, nursing effect, intraocular pressure and visual acuity, quality of life and nursing satisfaction were compared between the two groups. Results The incidence of complications in the experimental group (8.33%) was lower than that in the control group (37.50%) (P <0.05). The total effective rate of nursing in the experimental group (95.83%) was higher than that in the control group (66.67%) (P <0.05). The intraocular pressure and visual acuity of the experimental group were better than those of the control group (P <0.05). The scores of mental state, psychological state, social function and physical function in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group (P <0.05). The nursing satisfaction of the experimental group (95.83%) was higher than that of the control group (70.83 %) (P <0.05). Conclusion The clinical nursing pathway shows a good effect in preventing complications after lower eyelid entropion in the elderly. It can effectively reduce the incidence of complications, stabilize postoperative intraocular pressure and visual acuity, improve the quality of life and nursing satisfaction of patients, and provide more effective nursing services for elderly patients after lower eyelid entropion.