R 752
Topical anesthesia versus peri-/retrobulbar anesthesia in cataract surgeryN. Anders
For some years, peribulbar anesthesia has become more popular in cataract surgery than retrobulbar anesthesia. Recently, there have been an increasing number of reports about topical anesthesia for cataract surgery. In these cases there is no need for a painful injection through the skin or the conjunctiva. After the topical anesthesia by anesthetic eye drops, especially recommended in patients with clear cornea incision, and the sponge technique, the intracameral injection of unpreserved lidocaine was introduced as an effective local anesthesia technique.
This report presents the different techniques of topical anesthesia. The advantages and disadvantages in comparison to peri- and retrobulbar anesthesia are discussed. Furthermore, our results especially in intracameral lidocaine anesthesia are presented: experimental and clinical investigations of the corneal endothelium cells, electrophysiological investigations, the stress for the patient and the surgeon and topical anesthesia use in anticoagulated patients.
Dept. of Ophthalmology, Charité, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Augustenburger Platz 1, D-13353 Berlin