Abstract
Purpose: :
To evaluate the comfort and tolerance of topical anaesthesia during clear cornea phacoemulsification in previously vitrectomized patients.
Methods: :
Clear cornea phacoemulsification was performed under topical anaesthesia withamethocaine 0.5% without sedation in 25 eyes of 24 previously vitrectomized patients. The surgery was performed by a single, experienced surgeon. Patients were asked to rate the pain experienced during surgery using a 5-point visual analog scale, and to state if they would repeat the same kind of anaesthesia if they were to be operated on the fellow eye.
Results: :
Mean reported pain score was 1.28 ± 0.73 (range, 0 to 3). Only one patient reported a pain score of 3, and she also was the only one that would not repeat the same kind of surgery. Two eyes experienced posterior capsule rupture, and one eye presented anterior capsule dehiscence that could be solved without additional anaesthesia. The appearance of intraoperative complications did not influence the reported subjective pain.
Conclusions: :
Topical anaesthesia with amethocaine 0.5% without sedation provided excellent pain tolerance during clear cornea phacoemulsification in most of the previously vitrectomized patients for different causes.
Keywords: treatment outcomes of cataract surgery • cataract • vitreoretinal surgery