Neuroleptanalgesia and extracapsular cataract extraction.

Peribulbar and retrobulbar anaesthesia are commonly used techniques in cataract extraction. They offer satisfactory analgesia and akinesia but serious complications although uncommon are consistently reported. Intravenous sedation combined with a facial nerve block offers an alternative method of anaesthesia. This is a retrospective study of patients who underwent extracapsular cataract extraction using this technique between 1 January 1986 and 1 September 1990. The operating conditions were judged to be very suitable with minimal peroperative complications. The postoperative ocular complication rate was low (minimum follow-up 3 months) and no serious medical complications were noted: 93.8% of patients achieved 6/12 vision or better. This study demonstrates that it is possible to achieve satisfactory ocular analgesia and akinesia during cataract extraction under local anaesthesia without the use of a periocular injection.