Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 19, 2026

Subcutaneous Trigeminal Nerve Field Stimulation for Refractory Facial Pain
Published on: May 10, 2017
Topical ophthalmic amethocaine alleviates trigeminal neuralgia pain
Silviu Brill1, Ron Ben-Abraham, Itay Goor-Aryeh
1Pain Clinic, Tel-Aviv Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Background:
Trigeminal neuralgia (TGN) is a challenging pain syndrome.
Aim:
To test the effectiveness of local instillation of ophthalmic solution of amethocaine in relieving the pain of TGN.
Methods:
We performed an open-label prospective study in 40 consecutive currently treated patients suffering from TGN with a reported visual analog scale (VAS) >8 (severe pain). The patients received two drops of amethocaine 1% instilled on the cornea ipsilateral to the painful side. Pain score assessment using VAS was recorded pre- and post-treatment.
Results:
A total of 32 (80%) patients reported a significant reduction in pain 10 minutes after drops instillation as compared with pre-treatment pain score. Pre-treatment VAS score was 8.53 ± 0.6 as compared with 4.78 ± 1.83 post-amethocaine treatments (P < 0.00001).
Conclusion:
Topical ophthalmic instillation of amethocaine 1% can be considered as an immediate effective method for pain paroxysm of TGN.
Related Concept Videos
Local Anesthetics: Common Agents and Their Applications
Cocaine is an ester of benzoic acid and methylecgogine. It is used to anesthetize and vasoconstrict locally. Currently, it is used primarily for topical applications. It is beneficial for surgeries on the upper respiratory tract, providing anesthesia and shrinking the mucosa. Cocaine in the form of cocaine hydrochloride is...
Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Surface, Infiltration, and Conduction Block Anesthesia
Opioid Analgesics: Synthetic and Semisynthetic Opioids
Analgesia and Pain Management
Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Intravenous Regional Anesthesia
One of the advantages of...
Open Angle Glaucoma: Treatment
Drugs such as carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, α2- and...

