Eye injections
There are a variety of retinal diseases for which the advent of a class of drugs known as anti-VEGF medications has allowed successful treatment. The primary medications used are Lucentis, Eylea, Avastin and Beovu. These drugs are injected in the eye. Common indications for these medications include wet age related macular degeneration, retinal vein occlusions and diabetic retinopathy.
Anti-VEGF Injections
The best treatment for wet-AMD is an injection with a type of drug called an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF). These medications work by inhibiting the growth of new blood vessels such as those found in “wet” AMD, and by shrinking existing leaky vessels. Research has also shown the drug to be beneficial for restoring/preserving the vision of patients with other eye problems with macular thickening. Treatment with Lucentis involves injecting the drug into the eye. About 40% of AMD patients experience visual improvements with these injections, with some patients gaining significant amounts of vision. Complications with this procedure are rare, but include retinal tear (1%) and infection (0.1%). Patients require an average of six treatments per year, at four to six week intervals.
Your Intravitreal Injection
Prior to injection, your ophthalmologist will clean around your eye with a dilute iodine solution to reduce the small chance of infection. A metal speculum will be used to hold the eyelids open so you won’t have to worry about blinking at the wrong time. A small amount of local anaesthetic may be injected into the outmost layer of tissue on the eye. Next the medication will be injected into the eye with a very fine needle. The speculum will then be removed and you will be done! The whole procedure takes less than five minutes.
If you have glaucoma, your ophthalmologist may check your intraocular pressure after the injection. After your injection you will be instructed not to rub your eye or get water in your eye for three days. If you have any problems like decreased vision, something dark coming in from the edges of your visual field, or pain in the eye, you should call the office as soon as possible. If your problem occurs after office hours or on the weekend, you should go to the Emergency Department nearest you. Most patients have a little discomfort from the iodine or the speculum; it is very rare to have a serious problem from the injection. Your next visit will be scheduled usually for 4-12 weeks.