title: Diplopia after cataract surgery: comparative results after topical or regional injection anesthesia.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Unit, Department of Surgery, Fundación Hospital Alcorcón, c/Budapest 1, 28922 Alcorcón, Madrid, Spain. jyanguela@fhalcorcon.es
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yangüela
authors.forename: Juan I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Gómez-Arnau
authors.forename: José C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Martín-Rodrigo
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Andueza
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gili
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Paredes
authors.forename: María C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Porras
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: González del Valle
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arias
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D000779:Anesthetics, Local