VISUAL-ACUITY AFTER TOPICAL APPLICATION OF PROPARACAINE

Study objective: To determine the effect of topical anesthetics on Vis ual acuity (VA). Methods: We studied 66 consecutive patients (73 affli cted eyes) who presented to a university hospital emergency department with the complaint of eye pain. VA was measured before and after pati ents were treated with proparacaine, a topical ocular anesthetic. Resu lts: 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.