Scleral perforations during peribulbar anaesthesia

Scleral perforation is a recognised but uncommon complication of retrobulbar and peribulbar anaesthesia; most of the reported cases have required further intervention. We report 5 cases from our department that occurred between October 1991 and June 1992. Surgery was performed in all 5 cases without complications. Vitreous haemorrhage was noted on the first post-operative day in all patients; none of the patients required further intervention. Four of 5 patients achieved a final visual acuity of 6/9 and the fifth case was an amblyopic eye with a final acuity of 6/18.