Cataract Numbing Drugs

[OldTomCat]

I'm trying to get cataract surgery done. Several years ago I had allergy tests done. One of the allergens that showed positive was Caine mixtures. That would be all the "caine drugs including Lidocaine which seems to be the favorite agent for Ophthamologists. I never had a skin test for that drug in particular but in the past couple years, eating chocolate has caused itching on my hands. As chocolate and the caine drugs all come from the same plant I presume any derivative from that plant would cause a reaction.
I also have severe allergic contact dermatitis to pine sap and tomatoes. That takes a trip to urgent care for a Prednisone shot to get relief. If I had the same reaction to caine mixtures, each future exposure would cause greater and greater reactions.
What are the alternative drugs or alternative procedures? What are the good and bad things of each?

[OldTomCat]

Thank you for your response. Benzocaine is also part of the Caine mixture category. The question is drug options that are not a Caine derivative that have proven results for cataract surgery. The ophthalmologist said via a nurse, that he has given many people with caine allergies this drug without reactions as Lidocaine in the eye reacts differently than in other parts of the body. I need another opinion on that.
Actual consultation with any ophthalmologist at this clinic is difficult. I have no idea what type of surgery they will perform regarding removal of the old lens, what type of new lens they will insert adaptive or fixed. Nor do I know if they will remove the "floaters" along with the surgery.
I'm going to look into a different eye clinic that is more informative and possibly uses general anesthetic.

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and hope you are doing well.

Allergy to amide anesthetics such as lidocaine is rare, and when it does occur, it is usually caused by the preservative methylparaben. This can be overcome by using preservative-free lidocaine. In case of true allergy another class of anesthetics, the esters like benzocaine can be tried. Discuss all the options with your doctor before consenting for surgery.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.