Relief of pain by subcutaneous electrical stimulation after ocular surgery.

Electrical stimulation in the treatment of postoperative ophthalmologic pain was applied in 25 patients. In 21, stimulation was applied by means of subcutaneously implanted wires and in four patients the therapy was administered by externally placed electrodes. The subcutaneous electrodes were introduced near the supraorbital and infraorbital nerves at the end of the surgical procedures, and stimulation was immediately begun. Duration of treatment varied between one and three days. The nerve stimulator is a portable, battery-operated apparatus. The implanted electrodes avoid skin resistance and are extremely stable, thus affording uniform current intensity that does not change during sudden movements. As a result, the stimuli are perceived as a pleasant sensation. Complete pain relief was attained in nine patients, and in 13 patients the pain was diminished. The therapy is appropriate and effective in postoperative ocular pain, because the pain is restricted to a limited area, innervated by superficial nerves that are easily accessible to electrical stimulation.