title: Eye pain after vitreoretinal surgery: a prospective study of 185 patients.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Duke University Eye Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fekrat
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Elsing
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Raja
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Campochiaro
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: de Juan
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Haller
mesh_terms: 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*
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives