Purpose: To evaluate the pain associated with local infiltration of the eyelid, using a microprocessor-controlled delivery system (CompuMed, using the Wand), as compared with traditional manual syringe infiltration technique.
Methods: A randomized clinical trial of 30 patients undergoing minor eyelid surgical procedures was performed. Fifteen patients were injected by use of the CompuMed system and 15 patients were injected by the traditional manual syringe technique. The severity of pain was recorded from each patient by using a visual analog scale (0 to 10). The duration of pain experienced by the patient was also recorded.
Results: The mean pain level reported was 1.5 in the Wand group and 3.2 in the syringe group (p < 0.01). The mean duration of pain experienced was 1.5 seconds in the Wand group and 34 seconds in the syringe group (p < 0.01).
Conclusions: The Wand was effective at significantly reducing the pain associated with local anesthetic infiltration in minor eyelid surgical procedures. Patients appear to feel pain from the initial needle stick but not during the actual injection.