Do they still use general anesthesia for cataract surgery?

In the 20 years that I've been giving anesthesia, the only time I've seen general used for a cataract is in mentally challenged patients.

You, especially, should not be given general anesthesia, as you may end up on a ventilator for a long time.

Anesthesia is done either with a retrobulbar block (numbing injection behind the eyeball) or with eye drops. Most patients are awake during the surgery.

actually typically they DON'T use general anesthesia for cataract surgery anymore.

usually now they just give you some numbing eye drops and thats it.

they may give you the numbing eye drops as well as a local anesthesia shot in your eye.

for those who are very nervous they may also give IV sedation.

they only use general anesthesia when its an very complicated case. i'm 24 and my eyes are EXTREMELY complex and no one in my local area even wanted to attempt to preform cataract surgery. i went 8 hours away to philadelphia pa at the wills eye hospital. even that dr said he was going to be loosing sleep and that was saying something cuz he had worked on some complex cases throughout his career. he was not sure how long it would take or how difficult it would be so he along with the anesthesiologist felt that general anesthesia was the best thing for me.

**edit**

ok i honestly cannot believe that i am getting thumbs down considering i'm probably the only one that is going to answer that has actually had cataract surgery. i said that now a day most people don't have general anesthesia so don't know why people don't seem to agree with that and i know that i DID have general anesthesia cuz i specifically had a conversation with my surgeon and anesthesiologist and they explained they were going to use general anesthesia with a laryngeal mask airway.

(AND NO I AM NOT MENTALLY CHALLENGED!!!!!!!)