Objective:

Evaluate the efficacy of the combination 2% lidocaine / 1% phenylephrine administered intracamerally to achieve intraoperative mydriasis in cataract surgery.

Methods:

A prospective comparative study was conducted of a case series of 70 patients (70 eyes) who underwent cataract surgery by phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation at Ramón Pando Ferrer Cuban Institute of Ophthalmology from September 2017 to February 2018. Of the total eyes, 35 were dilated with a combination of phenylephrine and lidocaine injected into the anterior chamber just before surgery (MIC group), whereas the remaining 35 were dilated with mydriatic eye drops in the habitual traditional manner (MT group). Efficacy was evaluated in the two study groups measuring the pupil diameter (pupilometry) with a surgical compass at several moments during the surgery. The results for each group were compared.

Results:

In both groups patients achieved pupil diameters above 7 mm just before capsulorhexis, though values were slightly higher in the MT group (8.17 vs. 7.55 mm). Later measurement showed that in the MIC group all pupilometries were higher, remaining above 7 mm, whereas in the MT group they underwent gradual reduction until the end of surgery (5.68 mm).

Conclusions:

The combination of lidocaine and phenylephrine administered intracamerally is effective to achieve appropriate, sustained mydriasis during cataract surgery.

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