title: [Phacoemulsification and topical anesthesia. Apropos of 40 cases].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To evaluate topical anaesthesia for cataract surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-nine patients (40 eyes) underwent cataract surgery by phacoemulsification with topical anaesthesia consisting in instillations of tetracaine eyedrops. Thirty-four eyes were implanted with a foldable lens and 6 eyes received a PMMA lens. Final visual acuity (1 month minimum follow-up), patients reactions (sensibility, pain), anaesthetic and surgery difficulties were specially studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean initial corrected visual acuity was 0.21. Mean final corrected visual acuity was 0.72; 90 % of the subjects experienced no pain. Implantation was the most sensitive moment. Eye mobility was not a problem except during capsulhorexis which had to be done with forceps.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Simplicity of topical anaesthesia eliminates the complications of the other anaesthetic methods. It is necessary to have a close patient-surgeon relationship. Carefully chosen topical anaesthesia is an interesting alternative.
authors.affiliation: Centre Hospitalier National d'Ophtalmologie des Quinze-Vingts, Paris.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roman
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pietrini
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Auclin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ullern
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000772:Anesthesia, Local / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D000075202:Contraindications; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007432:Intraoperative Period; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D018918:Phacoemulsification / Q000379:methods; D011184:Postoperative Period; D014792:Visual Acuity
vernacular_title: Phacoemulsification et anesthesie topique. A propos de 40 cas.