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Visual acuity after topical application of proparacaine
P J Bossart1, R L Stephen, R D Herr
1Division of Emergency Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, USA.
Study Objective:
To determine the effect of topical anesthetics on visual acuity (VA).
Methods:
We studied 66 consecutive patients (73 afflicted eyes) who presented to a university hospital emergency department with the complaint of eye pain. VA was measured before and after patients were treated with proparacaine, a topical ocular anesthetic.
Results:
After proparacaine instillation, VA was improved in 33 patients (45%), unchanged in 34 (47%), and worse in 6 (8%).
Conclusion:
Patients with eye pain often demonstrate improved VA after the instillation of a topical anesthetic.
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