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Topical anesthesia effective for trabeculectomy
SALT LAKE CITY — Topical anesthesia is an effective alternative to retrobulbar anesthesia for primary trabeculectomy, according to a study conducted here.
Norman A. Zabriskie, MD, and colleagues here with the John A. Moran Eye Center randomized 36 patients undergoing trabeculectomy to receive either topical or retrobulbar anesthesia. No significant differences were seen in operating conditions, pain during surgery, pain after surgery or need for supplemental anesthesia between the groups. Few patients in either group were bothered by touch sensation, tissue manipulation or microscopic light.
Only patients in the group receiving retrobulbar anesthesia experienced chemosis, subconjunctival hemorrhage and eyelid hemorrhage, which the researchers attributed to the anesthetic injection. No other surgical complications were encountered in either group.
The report is published in the August issue of the Journal of Glaucoma.