Pain induced by phacoemulsification performed by residents using topical anesthesia.
To evaluate patient-reported pain induced by phacoemulsification performed by residents using topical anesthesia.



This prospective study comprised 81 eyes of 76 consecutive patients having phacoemulsification under topical anesthesia. Surgery was performed by an experienced surgeon (group 1; n=41 eyes) or by two residents (group 2; n=40 eyes). No sedation or intracameral anesthesia was used in either group. Eighty eyes had clear corneal phacoemulsification with foldable acrylic posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation. Patients were asked postoperatively to grade the pain they experienced during the procedure using a visual analog pain scale from 0 to 10.



The median pain score for the overall pain was 1.59 +/- 1.43 (range: 0 to 6) in group 1 and 1.95 +/- 1.64 (range: 0 to 7) in group 2 (P = .291). The mean pain score for the maximum pain perceived was 2.39 +/- 1.86 (range: 0 to 7) in group 1 and 2.53 +/- 1.67 (range: 0 to 7) in group 2 (P = .734). There was no significant correlation between the duration of surgery and the overall pain score (r = 0.102, P = .365).



Topical anesthesia had sufficient analgesic effects in selected patients undergoing phacoemulsification cataract surgery by resident surgeons. The pain felt during the operation was low and tolerable.
Unal
Mustafa
M
Akdeniz University Medical Faculty, Department of Ophthalmology, Antalya, Turkey.
Yücel
Iclal
I
Altin
Meryem
M
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000772:Anesthesia, Local; D002387:Cataract Extraction / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008875:Middle Aged; D009885:Ophthalmology / Q000193:education*; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010147:Pain Measurement; D018918:Phacoemulsification / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011446:Prospective Studies