Local anaesthesia for ophthalmic surgery

There have been major advances in every aspect of the management of the ophthalmic surgical patient.
These include the shift to day care, increased focus on the patient, and the involvement of the entire
ophthalmic team in all components of the process. A working party of the Royal College of Anaesthetists
and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists was convened to update the 2001 ‘Guidelines on Local
Anaesthesia for Intraocular Surgery’. The working party agreed unanimously to change this to ‘Guidelines
on Local Anaesthesia for Ophthalmic Surgery’. These guidelines will now cover the management of
patients undergoing most routine ophthalmic procedures and are not limited to intraocular surgery.
The purpose of these guidelines is to provide information for all members of the ophthalmic team in
order to promote safe and effective local anaesthesia for ophthalmic patients. They are intended to
apply to practice in the United Kingdom