Topical anesthesia in phacotrabeculectomy

Purpose: To study the safety and efficacy of topical anesthesia alone, without systemic sedation, in phacotrabeculectomy for cataract and primary open-angle glaucoma. Methods: In this prospective study, topical anesthesia with 2% lidocaine hydrochloride jelly without systemic sedation was used for combined phacoemulsification, posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation, and trabeculectomy in consecutive patients with primary open-angle glaucoma and concurrent cataract at the United Christian Hospital, Kowloon, Hong Kong, from September 2000 to May 2001. Visual analog pain score and change in vital signs were used to assess the intraoperative pain experience. Other outcome measures included postoperative visual acuity and intraocular pressure at 3 months. Results: Twenty-two eyes of 22 consecutive patients were included in the study. The mean intraoperative pain score was 0.9 (range, 0-3). Three patients reported discomfort intraoperatively. No injection of supplementary anesthetic was required in any of the eyes. None of the patients had significant increase of pulse rate or blood pressure during the whole surgical procedure. Six patients required oral analgesic for postoperative discomfort. The mean preoperative medically treated IOP was 20.3 +/- 5.9 mm Hg and the mean postoperative IOP at 3 months was 14.4 +/- 4.7 mm Hg. All except two patients had improved visual acuity. There was no serious intraoperative or postoperative complication. Conclusion: Topical 2% lidocaine hydrochloride jelly without systemic sedation may be a safe and effective anesthetic method in phacotrabeculectomy for patients with primary open-angle glaucoma with coexisting cataract.