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Ophthalmic anaesthesia: a declining skill in anaesthetic training?

Eye volume 39, page 2626 (2025)Cite this article

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Ophthalmic surgery remains one of the most commonly performed elective procedures in the NHS, with over 400,000 operations annually—most commonly cataract extractions. Yet the anaesthetic training in the United Kingdom that supports it appears to be in steady decline. In a recent survey of 87 anaesthetic trainees across the South West Peninsula of England, we identified a marked drop in exposure to ophthalmic regional techniques and a concerning erosion of clinical confidence.

Nearly half (49.4%) of respondents had never performed a sub-Tenon block, and only 2.3% had completed more than 20. A striking 71.3% had never observed a peribulbar block, and just 6.9% had performed a solo ophthalmic block list. Only 8.0% felt confident managing such a list independently.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

References

  1. Royal College of Anaesthetists. 2021 Curriculum for a CCT in Anaesthetics (v1.3). London: RCoA; 2024. Available from: https://www.rcoa.ac.uk/training-careers/training-anaesthesia/2021-anaesthetics-curriculum

  2. Royal College of Anaesthetists. The Anaesthetic Workforce: UK State of the Nation Report 2024. London: RCoA; 2024. Available from: https://www.rcoa.ac.uk/policy-public-affairs/anaesthetic-workforce-uk-state-nation-report-2024

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Exeter, UK

    Pete Ford

  2. University of Exeter, Exeter, UK

    Pete Ford

  3. Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, Taunton, UK

    Hemal Bosamia

Authors
  1. Pete Ford
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  2. Hemal Bosamia
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Contributions

Both PF and HB conceptualised the study. PF supervised the project. HB conducted data collection and analysis. Both authors contributed to the writing and approval of the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pete Ford.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Ford, P., Bosamia, H. Ophthalmic anaesthesia: a declining skill in anaesthetic training?. Eye 39, 2626 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-025-03914-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-025-03914-y

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