Sub-Tenon's versus peribulbar anaesthesia for cataract surgery

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Anesthesiology

Background:

• Cataract surgery necessitates effective local anesthesia to minimize patient discomfort.
• Both sub-Tenon's and peribulbar anesthesia are common techniques for ophthalmic procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare patient discomfort and anesthetic efficacy between sub-Tenon's and peribulbar anesthesia during cataract surgery.
• To evaluate pain experienced during anesthetic injection and throughout the surgical procedure.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving 74 patients under peribulbar anesthesia and 55 patients under sub-Tenon's anesthesia.
• Pain assessment using a 10-point visual analogue scale for injection and operative periods.
• Statistical analysis including Kruskal-Wallis H-test and Fisher exact test.

Main Results:

• Sub-Tenon's anesthesia showed significantly lower pain scores during anesthetic administration (mean 1.4 vs. 2.4).
• Fewer patients experienced significant pain (greater than 3) during the operative period with sub-Tenon's anesthesia (p < 0.05).
• Sub-Tenon's group required less anesthetic solution and had a shorter interval to surgery.

Conclusions:

• Sub-Tenon's anesthesia is a more effective and comfortable anesthetic method for cataract surgery compared to peribulbar anesthesia.
• The findings suggest improved patient outcomes and potentially greater efficiency with the sub-Tenon's technique.