Anesthesia for Ophthalmological Surgery

Pediatric ophthalmological surgeries are among the more common procedures in pediatric anesthesia practice. The patients range from healthy outpatients undergoing relatively simple procedures such as strabismus correction, to more complicated patients with syndromes requiring cataract removal, to premature infants requiring laser photocoagulation for retinopathy of prematurity. This chapter reviews extraocular conditions, including nasolacrimal duct obstruction and strabismus. It discusses intraocular conditions, including glaucoma, open globe injuries, cataracts, retinoblastoma, and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). ROP risk factors include prematurity, hyperoxia, hypoxia, and neonatal co-morbidities. Anesthesia provided in the interventional radiology suite should meet the same requirements as anesthesia provided in the operating room, including standardization of both anesthesia and emergency equipment. Finally, the chapter presents a case study of a retinoblastoma patient.