Patient preference and pain-reported outcomes for topical versus subtenon anesthetic for cataract surgery

Cataract extraction and lens implantation is the most common surgical procedure performed worldwide, with surgeons opting for either a topical or a subtenon anesthetic in majority of cases. While complication rates and pain scores have been previously examined in a bid to determine which modality was better, patients who have had both eyes operated upon under different techniques have never previously been asked which method they prefer. We undertook this study to fill in this crucial gap in our knowledge.

This is a retrospective study of patients who have undergone bilateral cataract surgery with one eye operated on with topical anesthesia and the other eye with subtenon anesthesia. Patients were identified who had had surgery undertaken in the previous 6 months at Singleton Hospital, Swansea, where both eyes had been operated upon using different anesthetic techniques. Telephone interviews with these patients were performed and their pain scores recorded on a scale from 0 (no pain) to 10 (severe pain) for both eyes, with the patients then being asked which the method of anesthetic they preferred. Statistical analysis of pain scores was compared using Wilcoxon rank-sum testing.

One hundred and fifty-two patients in total were identified. One hundred and forty-one of the applicable patients participated in the study. Of these, 78 patients received topical anesthesia for their first operation and 63 had subtenon block for their first operation. The mean pain scores reported for surgery with topical anesthesia and subtenon block were 2.30 and 1.38, respectively. The pain data were analyzed using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test, returning a z-score of 4.038. This result therefore suggests that patients experience statistically significantly less pain from cataract surgery when given a subtenon block. Patients expressed a preference for subtenon anesthesia, with 70% preferring subtenon block, 23% preferring topical anesthesia, and 7% having no preference.

Patients report less pain with subtenon anesthesia compared with topical anesthesia in cataract surgery, where both eyes were operated upon with different anesthetic techniques. This is the first study in which patients who have had both anesthetic techniques performed independently for cataract surgery have had their pain scores reported and statistically analyzed.