Music and its effect on patient pain and anxiety in laser eye surgery
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The effect of music on patient pain perception and anxiety during pan-retinal photocoagulation.
IRAS ID
222839
Contact name
Tara McClay
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Dundee
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Laser eye surgery is known to be painful to some patients, and as a result cause some distress. In some cases, this level of discomfort can indirectly result in a patient needing more sessions to treat the eye, as the surgeon may not be able to perform the procedure as effectively. Conversely, not treating a patient adequately will lead to significant visual impairment and blindness, which is the natural history of the condition. While using more anaesthesia in the eye may be a solution for pain, this can sometimes be more invasive, and does not address the issue of patient anxiety during such procedures. Therefore, in this study we aim to investigate how music used in conjunction with topical anaesthesia (eye drops) can provide a non-invasive solution to helping patient pain perception and anxiety while undergoing laser eye surgery. Some studies have shown the benefit of music on pain, anxiety, and patient satisfaction, however few have looked at laser eye surgeries.
Any patient due to undergo pan-retinal photocoagulation for diabetic retinopathy will be eligible for this study. However those patients with any hearing impairment, intolerance to local anaesthesia, or mental illness (anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, cognitive impairment) will be excluded from the study. Willing volunteers for the study will be asked to wear headphones during the procedure, which may or may not play music throughout the session. As a randomized controlled trial, neither the patient nor the surgical team will know who is to receive music prior to the procedure. The participant will then complete a questionnaire after receiving laser treatment to assess their level of pain and anxiety. The surgeon will also estimate the level of patient distress. The number of burns, and the time taken to complete the procedure will be included as a measure of procedure success.
REC name
East of Scotland Research Ethics Service REC 1
REC reference
17/ES/0037
Date of REC Opinion
4 Apr 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion