[Painless infiltration anesthesia in eyelid surgery. An intraindividual randomized prospective study]

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Anesthesiology

Background:

• Local anesthetic infiltration for eyelid surgery can cause significant pain.
• Patient discomfort during lid surgery anesthesia is a concern.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of a diluted local anesthetic pre-injection to reduce pain during eyelid surgery anesthesia.
• To assess patient comfort and pain levels with a novel anesthesia technique.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 13 patients undergoing bilateral eyelid surgery.
• One side received an initial injection of 1:10 diluted local anesthetic, followed by standard infiltration anesthesia 3 minutes later.
• The other side received only standard infiltration anesthesia for comparison. Pain was documented via observation and patient-reported scores.

Main Results:

• All 13 patients reported significantly less pain with the diluted anesthetic pre-injection technique.
• Nine out of 13 patients experienced painless infiltration anesthesia.
• Only 4 patients reported minor discomfort with the initial diluted anesthetic injection. Anesthesia onset and duration were comparable between techniques.

Conclusions:

• Pre-injection with a 1:10 diluted local anesthetic is an effective and inexpensive method to significantly reduce pain during eyelid surgery anesthesia.
• Dilution with saline offers an alternative to pH buffering agents, avoiding potential skin pigmentation.
• This technique enhances the feasibility of local anesthesia for sensitive patient groups, including children.