Aims To compare effects of gabapentin premedication with diazepam in patients undergoing cataract surgery.

Methods In a randomised double-blind study, the effects of gabapentin premedication as a sedative, anxiolytic, analgesic and oculohypotensive agent were studied in 56 elderly patients undergoing elective intraocular surgery.

Results There was significantly more sedation in the diazepam group than in the gabapentin group. However, there was less subjective anxiety in the gabapentin group than in the control group. There was a significant fall in intraocular pressure (IOP) and significant reduction in mean arterial pressure in the gabapentin group compared with the control group. Perioperatively, significantly more supplementation with intravenous midazolam was given in the control group than in the gabapentin group. A significantly larger number of patients in the gabapentin group scored a postanaesthesia recovery score of 10 compared with the control group. There was a statistically significant difference in the postoperative visual analogue scale scores for pain and number of analgesic requests with gabapentin scoring over diazepam in this regard.

Conclusions Hence, premedication with oral gabapentin in these elderly patients undergoing elective intraocular surgery produced intraoperative anxiolysis, decreased sedation, a modest decrease in IOPs and improved postoperative recovery.