Surface anesthesia also facilitates some endoscopic procedures such as bronchoscopy (visualization of the lower airways) or cystoscopy (visualization of the inner surface of the bladder)

Side effects
Localized side effects
Edema of tongue, pharynx and larynx may develop as a side effect of local anaesthesia. This could be caused by a variety of reasons including trauma during injection, infection, an allergic reaction, haematoma or injection of irritating solutions such as cold-sterilisation solutions. Usually there is tissue swelling at the point of injection. This is due to puncturing of the vein which allows the blood to flow into loose tissues in the surrounding area. Blanching of the tissues in the area where the local anaesthetic is deposited is also common. This gives the area a white appearance as the blood flow is prevented due to vasoconstriction of arteries in the area. The vasoconstriction stimulus gradually wears off and subsequently the tissue returns to normal in less than 2 hours.The side effects of inferior alveolar nerve block include feeling tense, clenching of the fists and moaning.The duration of soft tissue anaesthesia is longer than pulpal anaesthesia and is often associated with difficulty eating, drinking and speaking. Risks
The risk of temporary or permanent nerve damage varies between different locations and types of nerve blocks.There is risk of accidental damage to local blood vessels during injection of the local anaesthetic solution. This is referred to as Haematoma and could result in pain, trismus, swelling and/or discolouration of the region. The density of tissues surrounding the injured vessels is an important factor for Haematoma.
Typical operations performed under conduction anesthesia include:

Dentistry (surface anesthesia, infiltration anesthesia or intraligamentary anesthesia during restorative operations such as fillings, crowns, and root canals, or extractions, and regional nerve blocks during extractions and surgeries)
Podiatry  (cutaneous, nail avulsions, matricectomy, bunionectomy, hammertoe repair  and various other podiatric procedures)
Eye surgery (surface anesthesia with topical anesthetics or retrobulbar block during cataract removal or other ophthalmic procedures)
ENT operations, head and neck surgery (infiltration anesthesia, field blocks, or peripheral nerve blocks, plexus anesthesia)
Shoulder and arm surgery (plexus anesthesia or intravenous regional anesthesia)
Heart and lung surgery (epidural anesthesia combined with general anesthesia)
Abdominal surgery (epidural anesthesia/spinal anesthesia, often combined with general anesthesia during inguinal hernia repair or other abdominal surgery )
Gynecological, obstetrical, and urological operations (spinal/epidural anesthesia)
Bone and joint surgery of the pelvis, hip, and leg (spinal/epidural anesthesia, peripheral nerve blocks, or intravenous regional anesthesia)
Surgery of skin and peripheral blood vessels (topical anesthesia, field blocks, peripheral nerve blocks, or spinal/epidural anesthesia)

Diagnostic tests
Diagnostic tests such as bone marrow aspiration, lumbar puncture (spinal tap) and aspiration of cysts or other structures are made to be less painful upon administration of local anesthetic before insertion of larger needles. Other uses
Local anesthesia is also used during insertion of IV devices, such as pacemakers and implantable defibrillators, ports used for giving chemotherapy medications and hemodialysis access catheters.Topical anesthesia, in the form of lidocaine/prilocaine (EMLA) is most commonly used to enable relatively painless venipuncture (blood collection) and placement of intravenous cannulae. It may also be suitable for other kinds of punctures such as ascites drainage and amniocentesis.