Extracapsular cataract extraction under local anaesthesia without retrobulbar injection

Abstract

Day-case cataract surgery and the need for local anaesthesia are likely to increase. Retrobulbar (and peribulbar) anaesthetic injection is a common technique in cataract surgery, but serious complications are persistently reported. Subconjunctival injection is an alternative that avoids these risks. This retrospective study compares two groups of patients that underwent extracapsular cataract surgery under local anaesthetic. One group (retrobulbar) had uncomplicated retrobulbar injection with bupivicaine and hyaluronidase. The other group (non-retrobulbar) had superior bulbar, subconjunctival infiltration with bupivicaine and hyaluronidase. The operative complications and postoperative visual outcomes were similar in both groups. These results may encourage the investigation and adoption of the subconjunctival alternative to retrobulbar anaesthetic injection in cataract surgery.