Lidocaine 2% jelly versus lidocaine 2%-sodium hyaluronate 0.3% drops in phacoemulsification surgery

Lidocaine 2% jelly versus lidocaine 2%-sodium hyaluronate 0.3% drops in phacoemulsification surgery.

Article specifications

This randomized, controlled clinical trial was published in 2009 in Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology (IF 2016:2.342) by Greece ophthalmologists. In this clinical trial two distinct modes of topical lidocaine administration in terms of efficacy (pain control) and conjunctival redness: (1) Lidocaine 2% jelly standardized amount of 1 ml and (2) Lidocaine 2%-sodium hyaluronate 0.3%  0.3ml. The topical anesthetic was administered 10 min prior to the beginning of phacoemulsification .The need for additional topical anesthetic was recorded in both groups.

Results

In conclusion, the most striking finding of this study was the high incidence of conjunctival redness after the administration of topical LJ. This may imply a mild, temporary irritating effect of some constituents of the jelly, which has not been especially designed for the eye.