The incidence of complications associated with retrobulbar injection of anaesthetic for ophthalmic surgery.

A retrospective study of the incidence of complications associated with the use of retrobulbar injections was carried out on a sample of 1083 consecutive patients. The overall incidence of retrobulbar haemorrhage (1.3%) compared favourably with previous reports, but was found to be related to the experience of the surgeon. None of the more serious ocular complications of retrobulbar injection occurred in this sample. The relative safety of this technique is discussed.