Anesthesia for intraocular surgery.

Surgeons must decide on the type of anesthesia to use when performing cataract surgery. These "viewpoints" articles provide a well-balanced discussion offering the pros and cons of both topical anesthesia and retrobulbar/peribulbar injection. Dr. Dutton gives an overview of both techniques, focusing on relevant orbital anatomy. Drs. Hassan, Edelhauser and Kim, review the various types of topical anesthesia currently in use, and Drs. Spriggs and Broocker examine retrobulbar and peribulbar injections. Both techniques are associated with advantages and risks, so each surgeon must decide which technique is best suited for his or her own practice.