Most patients tolerate light perception during glaucoma surgery, survey finds

Most patients retain light perception during glaucoma filtration surgery under peribulbar anesthesia, but only 1.3% are frightened by their visual experience, according to a study by surgeons in Saudi Arabia.

Waleed Riad, MD, KSUF, and colleagues at King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, interviewed 75 consecutive patients about their intraoperative visual sensations. All patients had undergone either trabeculectomy or Ahmed tube implantation performed under peribulbar anesthesia.

The researchers found that 65 patients (86.7%) reported perceiving light during the surgery. Of these, 46 patients (61.3%) said they perceived colors, 32 patients (42.7%) perceived movement, 31 patients (41.3%) saw surgical instruments and 33 patients (44%) reported seeing the surgeon's hands or fingers, according to the study.

Most patients — 53 of the 75 patients (70.7%) — said they were not bothered by the visual sensations. Of the other 22 patients, 21 (28%) said they found the visual sensations unpleasant, and only one patient (1.3%) said he was "frightened," according to the study.

The severity of their glaucoma did not affect the patients' abilities to perceive light during surgery, the authors noted.

The study is published in the October issue of the Journal of Glaucoma.