Cataract surgery? Is topical anesthesia for all is a future in cataract surgery? A comparison between topical and retrobulbar anesthesia in terms of pain during cataract surgery

ABSTRACT

To compare the effectiveness of topical and retobulbar anesthesia in term of pain relief in patients subjected to cataract surgery. This comparative study was conducted at Department of Ophthalmology, Bahawal Victoria Hospital Bahawalpur from 18th July, 2012 to 18th January, 2013. Total 100 patients with cataract were included in this study. Mean age of the patient was 64.14 +/- 8.7 years. No. of patients in RA group who reported the pain scores [0- 4] during cataract surgery, was 46 [effectiveness was positive in 92% patients], while it was 33 [effectiveness was positive in 66% patients] in TA group. A significant difference between effectiveness of both anesthetic groups was observed. [P = 0.001]. It is observed that topical anesthesia in cataract surgery is a simple, safe and noninvasive technique but it cannot be proposed as a very good alternative to retrobulbar anesthesia in cataract surgery of all patients regarding its effectiveness interms of pain relief