COMPARISON OF PAIN, MOTILITY, AND PREOPERATIVE SEDATION IN CATARACT PHACOEMULSIFICATION PATIENTS RECEIVING PERIBULBAR OR SUB-TENONS ANESTHESIA

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The authors hoped to reduce the need for pr eoperative sedation and intravenous pain medication during cataract su rgery by converting from peribulbar anesthesia to sub-Tenon's anesthes ia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A consecutive series of 2453 cataract patien ts' charts were reviewed. Each patient had previously watched a videot ape explaining the anesthetic method to be used. Requests for preopera tive sedation were compared between patients who received peribulbar o r sub-Tenon's anesthesia. A sample of 200 charts of nonsedated patient s were reviewed to compare intraoperative pain and motility. RESULTS: Intraoperative freedom from pain was reported by 91% of the peribulbar patients and 99% of the sub-Tenon's patients. Preoperative sedation w as reduced from 26% of the peribulbar patients to 6.7% of the sub-Teno n's patients. CONCLUSIONS: Sub-Tenon's anesthesia provided excellent i ntraoperative pain relief and reduced the need for preoperative sedati on, making it a satisfactory anesthetic technique for patients undergo ing cataract phacoemulsification in an ambulatory surgery facility.