Effect of a Topical Anesthetic Cream (EMLA) in Reducing Pain Caused by Infiltration of Local Anesthetic in Eyelid Surgery

Abstract

EMLA (eutectic mixture of local anesthetics) cream is a topical formulation of a mixture of lidocaine and prilocaine. It has been used to achieve local analgesia after application under an occlusive dressing. We carried out a double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial to assess the effect of 5% EMLA (25 mg/mL of lidocaine and of prilocaine) in reducing the pain caused by infiltration of local anesthetic in eyelid surgery. Pain was assessed by means of a modified visual analogue scale ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (excruciating pain) in 25 consecutive patients (average age 65 years) undergoing bilateral eyelid surgery. Clinical significance was defined as a difference in pain scores of 3 or more between EMLA and placebo. The mean pain scores for EMLA and placebo were 3.1 and 4.0 respectively, a nonsignificant difference. The EMLA preparation was found not to be clinically effective in reducing pain caused by infiltration of local anesthetic in eyelid surgery.