Seeing an anesthetic revolution: ocular anesthesia in history.

Each surgical procedure places unique demands on the anesthesiologist to create surgical anesthesia with minimal physiologic trespass on the patient as well as the surgical repair. In surgery of the eye, the quest for an anesthetic that does not harm the eye or the patient can be a challenge. The removal of cataracts is one of the most frequently performed operations in the United States, and the majority of patients requiring the procedure are elderly and often have other significant medical conditions.