Fig. 6. The assistant should be seated at a right angle to the surgeon on the same side as the affected eye. For example, when operating on the left eye, the assistant sits to the surgeon's left. The surgical scrub technician is positioned over the patient's abdomen. Instruments frequently are passed across the surgical field to the operating surgeon. The assistant must make adjustments to avoid interrupting the passing of instruments from the surgeon to the scrub technician and possible resultant needle sticks.