Diplopia after cataract surgery: comparative results after topical or regional injection anesthesia.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the incidence of diplopia after topical or regional injection anesthesia in cataract surgery.


METHODS
Retrospective, noncomparative interventional case series.


METHODS
Three thousand five hundred forty-two consecutive cataract surgeries, performed from March 1998 to December 2001, were studied.


METHODS
Incidence and mechanisms of diplopia.


RESULTS
Two thousand one hundred twenty-two patients were operated under regional and 1420 under topical anesthesia. Twenty-four cases of diplopia were observed, 21 (87.5%) in the regional group and 3 (12.5%) after topical anesthesia (P = 0.005). Eleven cases (45.8%) were secondary to motility problems, all in the regional anesthesia group (P = 0.006). Eight cases (33.3%) were secondary to refractive errors or intraocular lens luxation, 5 after regional and 3 after topical anesthesia (P = 0.88). Five cases (20.8%) were secondary to fusion loss, all in the regional anesthesia group (P = 0.06).


CONCLUSIONS
In our study, topical anesthesia was associated with a lower incidence of diplopia relative to regional injection anesthesia. No cases of diplopia secondary to fusion loss or muscle damage were found after topical anesthesia surgery.
Yangüela
Julio
J
Ophthalmology Unit, Department of Surgery, Fundación Hospital Alcorcón, c/Budapest 1, 28922 Alcorcón, Madrid, Spain. jyanguela@fhalcorcon.es
Gómez-Arnau
Juan I
JI
Martín-Rodrigo
José C
JC
Andueza
Alfonso
A
Gili
Pablo
P
Paredes
Beatriz
B
Porras
María C
MC
González del Valle
Fernando
F
Arias
Alfonso
A
D000287:Administration, Topical; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000772:Anesthesia, Local / Q000379:methods*; D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002387:Cataract Extraction; D004172:Diplopia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D000779:Anesthetics, Local