Objective To analyze the application effect of holistic nursing intervention in plastic surgery for patients with ocular defects and malformations. Methods From June 2022 to April 2023, 70 patients with ocular defects and malformations admitted to the Department of Ophthalmology, the 988 Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force were selected as the research objects. They were randomly divided into control group and experimental group, with 35 patients in each group. The control group was given routine nursing intervention, and the experimental group was given holistic nursing intervention. The negative emotions, recovery, nursing satisfaction and quality of life were compared between the two groups. Results The SDS score and SAS score of the experimental group after nursing were lower than those of the control group (P <0.05). The aesthetic score of the experimental group was higher than that of the control group, and the time of swelling regression and suture removal were shorter than those of the control group (P <0.05). The nursing satisfaction of the experimental group was 97.14%, which was higher than 77.14% of the control group (P <0.05). The scores of quality of life in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group (P <0.05). Conclusion The application of holistic nursing intervention in plastic surgery for patients with ocular defects and malformations is effective, which can effectively improve the negative emotions and quality of life of patients, promote recovery, improve nursing satisfaction, and reduce complications.