This randomized controlled trial evaluates whether a standardized perioperative neuroplastic intervention: the STEIN Protocol (Strategies and Techniques for Enhancing Integration and Neuroplasticity), consisting of pain neuroscience education, guided imagery, and paced breathing, reduces intraoperative analgesic and anxiolytic requirements.
Secondary outcomes include patient-reported pain, anxiety, satisfaction, and postoperative recovery following cataract surgery.
Reduced intraoperative sedative and analgesic requirements may reflect improved patient comfort and autonomic regulation while minimizing medication-related adverse effects.
Inclusion Criteria:
Adults undergoing elective cataract surgery under topical anesthesia who are able to provide informed consent and complete study procedures.
Exclusion Criteria:
Inability to provide informed consent Inability to comply with study procedures Complex or combined cataract surgery General anesthesia Medical, neurologic, psychiatric, or respiratory conditions interfering with study participation Requirement for modified anesthetic protocols Inability to complete postoperative breathing exercises or follow-up assessments
slin@jsei.ucla.edu310-206-7955
Surgeons and anesthesia providers will not be informed of treatment allocation before or during surgery. Intervention audio is delivered through open-ear headphones, and participants are instructed not to disclose intervention content. Medication administration follows a standardized patient-directed protocol to minimize the potential influence of treatment allocation.
Music and Guided Imagery
Music Only
Impact of Music Therapy on Intraoperative Patient Comfort During Cataract Surgery With Topic Anesthesia
The Effects of Music on Perioperative Outcomes in Cataract Surgery
Anxiety in Cataract Patients Using Preoperative Music Therapy
The Effects of Music and Television on Intraoperative Hypertensive Events in Cataract Surgery
Impact of Music Added to the Usual Treatment on the Anxiety of Patients Undergoing Outpatient Cataract Surgery With Topical Anesthesia
Brief Nurse-led Mindfulness Based Intervention
Cranial Electro Therapy Stimulation in Reducing Perioperative Anxiety
Delta-Wave Hypnoanalgesia for Reducing Perioperative Anxiety in Cataract Surgery