Music to their ears

Optometric Management, Sep 2001

* If you co-manage patients who undergo surgery, you might want to suggest that the ophthalmologist let your patients listen to music during their procedures.

Researchers at the State University of New York at Buffalo split a group of 40 men and women undergoing surgery for glaucoma or cataract into two groups. One group received a tape player and headphone and could choose to listen during surgery to classical guitar, folk music or oldies. The other group didn't listen to any music.

The researchers measured each patient's blood pressure a week before surgery, the morning of surgery and during and after the surgery.

Both groups showed a spike in blood pressure the morning of surgery, consistent with anxiety, but pressures in the music group returned to normal within 5 minutes of listening to the music.

The music patients also felt less stress and a better sense of control.