The Effect of 400 mg of Caffeine on Untrained Subjects Performance of Simulated Ocular Microsurgery

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the effects of 400 mg of caffeine ingestion on previously untrained students' performance on simulated microsurgical tasks.Methods: 10 previously untrained students were included and randomised into two groups: a control or caffeine group. Each group received a 15-min orientation session on a microsurgical simulator (VRMagic eyesi surgical simulator, Mannheim, Germany). Each group then performed three repetitions of each task: a navigation task, a forceps task and a bimanual task. The control group repeated the testing sequence after a 30-min break. The caffeine group orally ingested 400 mg of caffeine and 30 min later repeated the same sequence. An ECG was performed on the caffeine group before and after caffeine ingestion to assess for arrhythmia. Overall score (%) was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included odometer (mm), time taken (s) and injured cornea and lens area (mm 2 ).Results: 10 subjects fulfilled all inclusion criteria. Mean age was 22.42 ± 0.92 years old. 4 subjects were male, 6 were female. 9 were right handed and 1 was left handed. The learning curve effect was significant and varying across subjects. There was no significant difference between baseline testing parameters of the two groups. There was no significant difference between the overall performance of the caffeinated and control groups. The control group did however complete the navigation and forceps tasks faster than the caffeine group. A reduction in the heart rate of the caffeine group was observed after caffeine dose. Conclusion:Our results show no significant change of simulated microsurgical ability after 400 mg of caffeine ingestion.