Journal of AdvancedMedical and Dental Sciences Research

Background:Preparing patients to maintain composure during retrobulbar injection and surgery is the main objective of sedation for eye surgery. The present study was conducted to compare gabapentin and melatonin on anxiety and pain associated with retrobulbar eye block for cataract surgery. Materials & Methods:110 patients scheduled for cataract surgery by phacoemulsification of both genderswere divided into 2 groups. Each group comprised of 55 patients. Group I patients received 600 mg gabapentin and group II patients received 6 mg melatonin. Anxiety and pain scores in each patient before premedication (T1), 90 min after premedication, on arrival in the operating room (T2), during retrobulbar block (RBB) placement (T3), during operation period (T4), and postoperatively prior to discharge from the recovery room (T5) were recorded. Intraoperative fentanyl consumption, duration of surgery, and operating condition scores were also compared. Results: The mean duration of surgery in group I was 21.5 minutes and in group II was 20.6 minutes. Intraoperative fentanyl consumption was seen in 9 each in both groups. The operating condition scores was good seen in 30 in group I and 31 in group II, moderate 25 in group I and 23 in group II and poor in 1 in group II. The difference was non- significant (P> 0.05). Verbal anxiety scores at T1 was 3.6 in group I and 3.5 in group II, at T2 was 3.1 in group I and 3.2 in group II, at T3 was 2.5 in group I and 2.9 in group II, at T4 was 1.4 in group I and 1.8 in group II. The intragroup difference was significant (P< 0.05). The mean verbal pain scores in group I and group II, at T1 was 5.7 and 5.6, at T2 was 4.6 and 4.9, at T3 was 3.2 and 3.7, at T4 was 2.1and 2.9 and at T5 was 0 and 1.1 respectively. The intragroup difference was significant (P< 0.05). Conclusion: Pretreatment with gabapentin and melatonin reduces anxiety in a comparablemanner. Additionally, a single oral dosage of gabapentin given before to surgery reduces pain and is linked to higher sedation scores during the retrobulbar block.