Subjective visual sensations during cataract surgery performed under topical anaesthesia.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the patient's subjective visual sensations during cataract surgery performed under topical anaesthesia.


METHODS
Prospective, non-randomized, cohort study. One hundred and thirty-two patients were interviewed by standard questionnaire within 1 hr of uncomplicated cataract surgery performed under topical anaesthesia.


RESULTS
Everyone saw lights of different and changing intensity. One hundred and twenty-six (95.5%) patients saw different colours; 18 (13.6%) patients saw a rainbow-like scale of colours. Ninety-eight (74.2%) patients could see clear shapes and forms (mainly circle, square, rectangle, ellipse). Forty-nine (37.1%) patients could see instruments, and 35 (26.5%) patients saw the fingers of the surgeon during surgery. Twenty-six patients (19.7%) considered the strong light of the microscope very disturbing and uncomfortable. Forty-seven patients made drawings of the visual sensations that they experienced during surgery.


CONCLUSIONS
Consistent with our review of the literature, we found no relation between intraoperative visual sensations and patient's age, sex, preoperative visual acuity, duration of surgery or cataract severity. We found that it is helpful to inform the cataract patients of potential visual sensations before their surgery.
Biró
Zsolt
Z
Department of Ophthalmology, St Imre Hospital, Budapest, Hungary. zsolt.biro@aok.pte.hu
Schvöller
Mónika
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000772:Anesthesia, Local; D002387:Cataract Extraction; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003116:Color; D005260:Female; D005556:Form Perception; D006801:Humans; D007432:Intraoperative Period; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular; D008027:Light; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014785:Vision, Ocular