In response to the letter of Sinha et al1 concerning our article “23 Gauge versus 20 Gauge System for Pars Plana Vitrectomy: A Prospective Randomised Clinical Trial” we would like to publish the following answer:

For analysis of postoperative pain, we used a simplified verbal rating scale (ranging from 0, meaning no pain, to 3, meaning severe pain). The standardised verbal rating scale ranges from 0 (no pain) to 10 (“the worst pain possible”), which we think is too extensive for our patients and purpose.

In the literature, verbal rating scales are described to be a valid, reliable and appropriate tool for determination of postoperative pain in clinical practice1 2 Furthermore, we believe that the assessment of postoperative pain is not likely to be biased, if the assessor is not masked, because the perception of pain is a completely subjective parameter and is not likely to be influenced, if the …