Effect of applying the Honan intraocular pressure reducer before cataract surgery.

We studied 48 patients undergoing cataract extraction with local anesthesia. In 41 patients, after administering the retrobulbar injection, we applied the Honan intraocular pressure reducer for seven to ten minutes at a pressure setting of 30 mm Hg. Of these 41 patients, 13 received 3-ml injections, 14 received 4-ml injections, and 14 received 5-ml injections. No differences in intraocular pressure related to the quantity of retrobulbar injection were noted. After retrobulbar injection, the mean intraocular pressure for the study population as a whole increased 4.4 mm Hg; after application of the Honan device, it decreased 6.2 mm Hg. In a control group of seven patients, who received 4-ml retrobulbar injections but no applications of the Honan device, mean intraocular pressure increased 6.1 mm Hg immediately after retrobulbar injection and decreased only 0.7 mm Hg after seven to ten minutes.