A prospective clinical trial comparing peribulbar with retrobulbar anaesthesia is reported. Ninety-nine consecutive patients for cataract extraction under local anaesthesia were randomly allocated to a peribulbar or retrobulbar technique. The effectiveness of the anaesthetic, the operative conditions, and the degree of patient discomfort were recorded. Pain scores (as assessed separately by the patient, surgeon, and attendant nurse) demonstrated that anaesthetic administration and surgery were less painful with the peribulbar method. This technique gave more reliable ocular akinesia and orbicularis oculi paralysis in addition to a lower operative complication rate.