If you fear needles, options can include education and communication, distraction, and sometimes sedation. For some procedures, a local anesthetic can be given in different ways, such as eye drops, a very fine needle injection near the eye, or a small tube instead of a needle for sub-Tenon’s anesthesia. Some patients may also be offered a sedative, which is a medicine that makes you sleepy and relaxed if you feel anxious.

For pain procedures, ASRA notes that distraction methods can help lower pain and anxiety. Examples include visual or audio distraction, and even virtual reality. In one study, virtual reality lowered pain scores and improved the overall experience compared with local anesthetic alone, with fewer side effects and a shorter recovery than IV sedation for epidural steroid injections. ASRA also says that routine skin wheals, which are small numbing injections in the skin, are often unnecessary for deeper pain procedures and may add pain and time without clear benefit.

The best choice depends on the procedure and what is safest for you. Verify the exact plan with your surgical or anesthesia team in case they want something different for you.