BACKGROUND: Patient-controlled sedation with propofol has been shown to provide safe and effective sedation for patients undergoing surgery under local anesthesia. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of patient-controlled sedation and analgesia with propofol and fentanyl in 17 patients undergoing cataract surgery. METHODS: An admixture of 400 mg of propofol with 100microgram of fentanyl (42 ml) was loaded into a patient-controlled analgesia pump and administered at a rate of 10 ml/hr. The lock-out time was 1 minute and the bolus dose was 1 ml. At the end of surgery, pain relief, anxiety relief and the satisfaction score were recorded on a patient questionnaire with a 1 to 10 scale. RESULTS: The sedation level varied from patient to patient and there was no incidence of oversedation. Most patients were satisfied with this anxiety and pain relieving technique (more than a score of 8). Blood pressure and arterial oxygen saturation showed minimal changes and remained within normal ranges. There were no complications except complaints of pain at infusion sites from 3 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Patient-controlled sedation and analgesia is a safe and satisfactory method for most patients undergoing cataract surgery for relieving pain and anxiety.