Nursing approaches in local anesthesia for ophthalmic surgery.

1. Traditionally, local anesthesia has only been used in patients with coexisting diseases that jeopardize the safety of general anesthesia. Local anesthesia, however, provides a number of advantages which make it suitable for ophthalmic surgery of both the anterior and posterior segment. 2. Preoperative emotional and physical assessment and patient counseling is essential to the successful use of local anesthesia. 3. Anxiety that exists intraoperatively can be relieved by sedentary social diversions such as listening to music, handholding, and other holistic approaches. 4. Discomfort caused by draping can be eliminated by using a drapeholder which lifts the drapes away, providing the patient with a high flow of air.