General anesthesia in ophthalmology.

General or a combination of local and general anesthesia is beneficial in ophthalmic operations. With foreknowledge that they are to be asleep, patients approach operation with less trepidation, and during the procedure the surgeon can be more relaxed. In a series of 300 cases reviewed, no complications that could be attributed to general anesthesia occurred at the operative site. Nasopharyngeal and tracheal irritation sometimes developed. Anesthesia should be conducted by a well-trained, alert anesthetist; and the method and the agent should be determined after thorough examination and appraisal of the patient and consideration of the nature of the operation to be done.