Krishnamoorthy Segharipuram Ranganathan1
BACKGROUND
Most of intraocular surgeries are done under local anaesthesia. The peribulbar anaesthesia provides adequate anaesthesia and akinesia. There is no reported intraoperative and/or postoperative amaurosis. The peribulbar anaesthesia provides adequate anaesthesia and akinesia. The disadvantages of it are the larger quantity of the aesthetic agent. Increasing the bulk load on the globe and a reported rise of intraocular pressure.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A study of fifty cases was conducted in patients who received peribulbar anaesthesia undergoing cataract extraction with intraocular lens implantation and their intraocular pressures were noted and studied after giving the peribulbar anaesthesia all given by the same surgeon.
RESULTS
This study did show that the peribulbar anaesthesia increases the intraocular pressure in all the cases. The external ocular compression indeed helps to dissipate the anaesthetic load thereby reducing the enormous rise in IOP, which is only expected if you recollect the fact that the eyeball occupies one sixth of the total volume of the orbit that is 5 mL and 30 mL. The volume of peribulbar anaesthesia (6 mL) does add its effects to increase the IOP. Hence, a properly planned post peribulbar compression helps to minimise the transient rise in IOP.
CONCLUSION
Summarising the study, it is better to give peribulbar injection initially followed by external ocular compression after a delay of at least 2 to 5 minutes. It is also advised that an initial compression maybe given in slightly risk cases, so that the peribulbarinduced rise may not be alarming. The anaesthetic solution maybe fragmented and the second injection maybe delayed by 5 minutes or omitted if good akinesia and anaesthesia are achieved already.
