ANAESTHESIA FOR OPHTHALMIC SURGICAL PROCEDURES.

BACKGROUND: Ophthalmic surgical procedures are performed under anaesthesia to enhance comfort and cooperation of patient.

OBJECTIVE: To review factors influencing the choice of anaesthesia for ophthalmic surgical procedures.

DESIGN: Restrospective descriptive study.

SETTING: Eye unit of a tertiary hospital.

SUBJECTS: All patients who had ophthalmic surgeries in the operating theatre from January 2002 to December 2009.

RESULTS: Two hundred and ninety ophthalmic surgeries were carried out during the study period. Age range was 1-95 years and mean of 61.0 ± 1.9; most (55%) were elderly while 4.8% were children. One hundred and fourty seven (50.7%) were males, 143(49.3%) females; male:female of 1.03:1. Local anaesthesia was the more commonly (92.1%) employed while general anaesthesia was used in 23(7.9%) patients. General anaesthesia was used more frequently (71.4%) in children compared to other age groups; the mean age and standard error of means for patients who had general anaesthesia (27.2 /5.4 years) is smaller compared to 63.9/0.93 years for patients who had local anaesthesia (p < 0.0001). Regional anaesthesia was the most frequently used for all types of procedures except for eye wall repairs in which general anaesthesia was used for 71.4% of patients (p < 0.0001). General anaesthesia was indicated in seven (41.2%) of emergency ophthalmic surgical procedures as compared to 16 (5.9%) of elective ophthalmic procedures P < 0.0001.

CONCLUSION: General anaesthesia was more commonly employed in children, eye wall repairs and emergency ophthalmic surgical procedures.