Eye pain after vitreoretinal surgery: a prospective study of 185 patients.
OBJECTIVE
To assess subjective levels of eye pain, nausea, and sedation following vitreoretinal surgery performed with intravenous sedation and retrobulbar anesthesia.


METHODS
One hundred eighty-five consecutive patients who underwent vitreoretinal surgery and had access to a standard postoperative analgesic regimen prospectively quantified levels of eye pain, nausea, and sedation 2 hours and 5 hours after surgery by using a standard visual analog scale. Analgesic requests were recorded. Responses were statistically analyzed.


RESULTS
Fifty-six percent of patients had some eye pain after vitreoretinal surgery; 48% of patients requested an analgesic within 5 hours after surgery. Twenty-seven percent of patients required narcotic analgesia. There was a significant relationship between the presence of eye pain and surgery duration of >2 hours (P < 0.02). Sixteen percent of patients had postoperative nausea, which more likely occurred in those who received a narcotic analgesic (P < 0.02). Eighty percent of patients had postoperative sedation, which more likely occurred in those who received a narcotic analgesic (P < 0.02).


CONCLUSIONS
One half of individuals undergoing vitreoretinal surgery, especially those who have lengthy procedures (>2 hours), will request pain medication within 5 hours after surgery; one half of these patients will need narcotic analgesia for pain control. Narcotics may result in nausea and sedation.
Fekrat
S
S
Duke University Eye Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
Elsing
S H
SH
Raja
S C
SC
Campochiaro
P A
PA
de Juan
E
E
Haller
J A
JA
D000368:Aged; D000700:Analgesics / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000771:Anesthesia, Intravenous / Q000379:methods; D000772:Anesthesia, Local / Q000379:methods; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009325:Nausea / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012164:Retinal Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D013997:Time Factors; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000601:surgery*
D000700:Analgesics; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives