Eye Surgery – General Anesthesia

Eye surgery, more commonly known as eye surgery, is surgical surgery performed on the eye itself or its posterior parts, usually by an optometrist. The eye is such a delicate organ, and needs extreme care prior to, during, and immediately after a surgical procedure to avoid or minimize further damage to the eye. When eye surgery is performed it is usually to correct refractory vision problems such as myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), astigmatism, or presbyopia (preventing nearsightedness or farsightedness), and cosmetic eye surgeries are sometimes performed for appearance rather than to repair eye defects. Some forms of eye surgery are performed with the eye being open (glasses or contact lenses), while others require complete corneal ablation, sclera reduction, corneal thickening, eyelid repositioning, retinal detachment removal, or photorejuvenation. All of these procedures have a risk of complications and potential loss of vision if the patient does not fully cooperate, so it is vital that the patient has fully explained their medical history, symptoms of eye problems, and expected outcomes before undergoing any surgical procedure.

Prior to any eye surgery or surgical procedure, the patient will be instructed to take and follow all of their post-surgical instructions including what medications to take, the time it will take for them to recover, if they need any further medical treatment, etc. The most common post-operative drug for eye surgery is an anti-inflammatory or analgesic medication. This medication must be prescribed by the doctor and obtained from a pharmacy licensed to sell prescription medication. In many instances, however, local anesthesia will suffice; in which case the general anesthesia used during the procedure will be monitored by a cardiologist.

General anesthesia, or a sedative/anesthetic mixture administered intravenously, is the preferred method of administration for eye surgery when the patient is conscious. When the patient becomes unresponsive or otherwise unable to cooperate, general anesthesia may be prescribed by the physician anesthesiologist. Regardless of which type of anesthesia is used, it is crucial that the physician anesthesiologist has full knowledge of all of the patient’s medical history. As in the case of any other invasive surgery, the patient should expect to be monitored closely by a cardiologist while recovering. In addition, as with any invasive procedure, eye surgery patients should be aware of the possible risks associated with any eye surgery, including those noted below.