Advances in ophthalmic surgery, together with achieving greater patient safety, have changed the requirements, methods and choice of regional anaesthesia of the eyes.So far, there still lacks of an absolutely safe ophthalmic regional block method, and the intraoperative anesthesia method depends on the needs of the surgeon and the expectations and the cooperation of the patients.The majority of ophthalmic procedures can be performed under regional anesthesia, but the proximity of important structures, such as the blood vessels, optic nerve and the brainstem, leads to increased risks associated with these blocks.The most serious one of these complications is brainstem anesthesia.An clear and full understanding of these complications, which may sometimes be life-threatening, is thus vital to the anesthesia practitioner.Procedural improvements include a close evaluation of the precise anatomy of the region, with particular attention to injection sites, depth of injection, position of the eyeball, and techniques to avoid nerve damage and accidental injection into surrounding structures, including blood vessels, eyeball and cerebrospinal fluid.To emphasize the importance of the prevention, recognition and management of these complications, which includes the extremely serious complication of brainstem anesthesia.

Anesthesia/adverse effects; Anesthesia, local/adverse effects; Ophthalmologic surgical procedures; Complications; Postoperative complications/prevention & control