For patients who experience significant preoperative anxiety but do not wish to undergo intravenous sedation, oral benzodiazepine premedication provides a meaningful anxiolytic effect without the cost or clinical infrastructure required for IV administration. ¹ Oral diazepam – typically 5–10mg taken approximately one hour before surgery – reduces anticipatory anxiety, attenuates the stress response to the surgical environment, and in some cases produces mild anterograde amnesia that reduces the impact of the procedural memory.
It does not reliably produce the same depth of anxiolysis as IV sedation and does not address intraoperative movement risk as effectively. ² For patients with moderate anxiety, it is an appropriate and well-established option. For patients with severe pre-operative anxiety or significant needle phobia exacerbated by the eye drop instillation process, IV sedation remains the preferred approach.
At Blue Fin Vision®, oral diazepam premedication for ICL surgery is available and is provided without additional charge. It must be arranged at or before the pre-operative consultation – it cannot be prescribed or administered on the day of surgery. Patients who take oral diazepam will require accompaniment to and from the clinic and should not drive or operate machinery for the remainder of the day. ³
Both sedation options – oral diazepam and IV sedation – should be discussed explicitly at the pre-operative stage. Patients should not be in the position of requesting anxiolytic support on the morning of surgery having not raised it previously.
References
- Packer M. Meta-analysis and review: effectiveness, safety, and central port design of the intraocular collamer lens. Clin Ophthalmol. 2016;10:1059–1077. PMID: 27390517.
- Fernandes P, González-Méijome JM, Madrid-Costa D, Ferrer-Blasco T, Jorge J, Montés-Micó R. Implantable collamer posterior chamber intraocular lenses: a review of potential complications. J Refract Surg. 2011;27(10):765–776. PMID: 21610721.
- Kohnen T, Maxwell WA, Holland S, Tetz M. Intraocular collamer lens for high myopia: results from the ICL in Treatment of Myopia (ITM) study. Ophthalmology. 2008;115(8):1392–1400. PMID: 18359068.
Related Topics
- ICL Surgery Checklist
- Are You on the GMC Specialist Register for Ophthalmology?
- Does Your Surgeon Hold the CertLRS Qualification?
- How Many ICL Procedures Has Your Surgeon Performed?
- Can You Show Me Your Refractive Outcome Data?
- Is Surgery Performed in a Proper Hospital Theatre with Laminar Airflow?
- What Is My Pre-Operative Endothelial Cell Count?
- How Often Will ECC and Vault Be Monitored, and Is This Included?
- What Vault Are You Targeting?
- Does the Clinic Have Access to Laser Eye Surgery for Enhancement?
- Which ICL System and Calculator Do You Use?
- What Happens If I Develop a Cataract Within Two Years?
- What Is the Arrangement If Cataract Develops Between Two and Ten Years?
- Have You Performed Cataract Surgery in an Eye with an Existing ICL?
- How Do You Manage Biometry Calculations in Post-ICL Eyes?
- What Happens If My Myopia Continues to Progress?
- At What Level Would Enhancement Be Considered?
- When After Surgery Would Enhancement Be Performed?
- Who Performs the Enhancement – the Same Consultant?
- Is Laser Enhancement Included in the Price?
- Is Sedation Available, and What Does It Cost?
- Is Oral Diazepam Available for Anxious Patients?
- What Is the Minimum Stay Required Near the Clinic?
- Will You Identify a Named Local Ophthalmologist Before Surgery?
- How Will Annual Vault and ECC Monitoring Be Arranged If I Live Far Away?
