Episcleral single injection anesthesia in the caruncle for cataract surgery: 350 report cases

Episcleral single injection anesthesia in the caruncle ovoids the rare but potentially dangerous complications and incidents of classic local anesthes ia. Excellent motor and sensory block is obtained with a single injection i n the anatomic marks are well defined. We have practiced this technique sin ce February 1999 for cataract surgery in 350 cases. The different surgical techniques used were manual extracapsular extraction in 52% of cases, phaco section through tunnel incision in 38%, and phacoemulsification in 10%. Our preliminary results show good acceptance of the episcleral anesthesia for both patients and surgeons. Because it is effective and safe, this anaestht ic technique may be an alternative to classic anesthetic techniques in ail cases where topical anesthesia is not indicated.