Combined peribulbar injection and blunt cannula infiltration for vitreoretinal surgery

Seventy-six patients undergoing combined peribulbar and direct intraconal infiltration local anesthesia for vitreoretinal surgery were prospectively evaluated. Forty-six patients had local anesthesia with a combination of lidocaine 2% and bupivacaine 0.5%; in 30 patients, a combination of lidocaine 2% and prilocaine 1% was used. Patient evaluation of discomfort during the administration of the anesthetic and during the operation was assessed on a visual analog scale of 0 to 10. The mean pain score recorded was 2.73. There was no statistically significant difference between the mean pain scores of the two local anesthetic groups (P = .465).