Preoperative Nonpharmacological Anxiety Management in Adult Ophthalmic Surgery: A Scoping Review.

PURPOSE: Perioperative anxiolysis protocols for ophthalmic surgery remain nonstandardized and lack systematic evidence synthesis. This scoping review will chart interventions for reducing preoperative anxiety in adults undergoing ophthalmic surgery to prioritize future trials.

DESIGN

A scoping review.

METHODS

Seven electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, and Cochrane Library) were searched for relevant articles published from January 2015 through October 2025. The search strategy combined controlled vocabulary terms (eg, MeSH terms) with free-text keywords and focused on ophthalmic surgery, interventions, and anxiety.

FINDINGS: In total, 19 studies had been included in the scoping review. The interventions comprised music therapy, patient education, massage, aromatherapy, relaxation techniques, and stress ball. The most frequently used measurement tool was the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Additionally, outcome measures included anxiety, fear, pain, physiological indices (respiratory rate, heart rate, and blood pressure), information retention, intraoperative cooperation, and patient satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows that preoperative anxiety-management interventions for adults undergoing ophthalmic surgery are diverse in content and have a substantial evidence base. Future research should focus on rigorous study designs and practical implementation. Furthermore, comparative studies of different interventions are needed to identify the most effective and efficient approaches. Finally, future research should integrate critical factors such as intervention duration, surgical phase, and patient age profile to develop precise, low-burden, and highly effective combinatorial strategies for managing preoperative anxiety in adults undergoing ocular surgery.