Type of anesthesia for strabismus surgery

[dp33]

Can strabismus surgery be done using local anesthesia and what are the advantages or disadvantages if any?

[Michael J Kutryb, MD]

Thanks for your imput Jodie J - very helpful comments as usual.  The main choice is iv sedation with local block vs general which is the tradition method.  General anesthesia will usually make you more groggy and nauseated afterward than iv sedation but makes the surgery technically easier for the surgeon.  Talk with an experienced strabismus surgeon, the best in your area, and see what he or she prefers - that would be your best bet.

MJK MD

[JodieJ]

If you're talking about using local anesthesia alone (no IV sedation), yes it can be--but it's usually not done that way.  That was my first choice, but my strab surgeon vetoed it.  So they used local anesthesia with IV propofol, which left me wide awake very quickly and feeling unusually elated.  I had no memory of the 40-minute procedure, and no experience of pain.  (It's subjective what you perceive as an advantage/disadvantage.)  If you're having adjustable sutures (adjusted in the OR), probably general anesthesia would not be possible.  Do you have specific anesthesia concerns?