Comparison of Proparacaine, Tetracaine, and Oxybuprocaine in Corneal Sensitivity Measurement.

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the onset and duration of action of 3 commercially available topical anesthetic solutions in Brazil, using the Cochet-Bonnet esthesiometer (Luneau ® , Paris, France) and to quantitatively assess patient-reported discomfort during application. Methods: A prospective, randomized, masked, and double-blind study was conducted, involving 40 eyes from 21 patients. Patients were administered each one of the topical anesthetics weekly, and corneal sensitivity was measured using the Cochet-Bonnet esthesiometer's corneal touch threshold (CTT). Patients rated the burning sensation using a visual analogue scale (VAS). Results: Among the 21 patients (42.9% male), with a mean age of 31.95 years (±standard deviation = 10.17, range = 22.0-58.0), corneal sensitivity significantly decreased 30 s after application, returning to baseline after 30 min for all groups ( P  < 0.0001). Significant differences in CTT were observed at 5 min, with proparacaine exhibiting a superior anesthetic effect ( P  = 0.0003), at 10 min, where tetracaine displayed the most substantial anesthetic effect ( P  = 0.0135), and at 20 min, where tetracaine demonstrated the highest anesthetic efficacy ( P  < 0.0001). VAS scores indicated the most intense burning sensation with tetracaine ( P  < 0.0001). Men reported experiencing more discomfort during instillation compared with women ( P  = 0.0168). Conclusions: Proparacaine exhibited the fastest onset of action among the 3 topical anesthetics and provided a more comfortable eye sensation during instillation. However, tetracaine demonstrated the longest duration of action despite causing more discomfort.