INTRAVITREAL INJECTIONS

What is an Intravitreal Injection?

An Intravitreal Injection is a procedure in which medicines are injected directly into the jelly-like material inside your eye known as the vitreous.

What Conditions Does the Intravitreal Injection Help?

Intravitreal Injections are a common method to treat retinal diseases such as

Diabetic Macular Oedema,
Age-related Macular Degeneration, and
Macular Oedema Secondary to Retinal Vein Occlusions.

Types of Intravitreal Injections?

We offer a range of Intravitreal Injection solutions the details of which can be found on the links below:

Day of the Intravitreal Injection

It is essential not to miss your appointments with your ophthalmologist, even if there does not appear to be any problem with vision. This is because your condition can reactivate without the injection, leading to irreversible loss of vision.

Try to avoid using make-up the day of the injection.

You should use your usual prescribed eye drops on the day of the injections, unless instructed otherwise by your doctor.

Bring sunglasses with you to protect your eye after the injection.

How is Intravitreal Injection Performed?

This procedure can be performed on an outpatient basis and involves very little discomfort. The steps of the procedure involve your ophthalmologist:

A topical anaesthetic is given before the injection to numb the eye
Antiseptic is used to sterilise the eye
This is often followed with a surface injection of anaesthetic to further numb the eye
A special instrument will be used to keep your eyelids open
Your eye will then be washed with an antiseptic solution
The injection is then delivered through the white part of the eye
The anaesthetic and antiseptic is then rinsed out of the eye
Your eye may or may not be patched following the injection
It is quite normal to feel pressure during the procedure

What should I Expect After the Intravitreal Injection?

After the therapy, some patients may:

see floaters, which usually resolves after a few hours
develop superficial bleeding on the white surface of their eyes, which resolves after a few days to weeks, or
get pain a few hours after the injection, which usually resolves the next morning.

The majority of patients will need to have this procedure repeated at regular intervals in order to maintain good vision.

Possible Risk or Complications of the Intravitreal Injection

Intravitreal injections are generally very safe. They are one of the most common and safest ophthalmic procedures.

Complications include:

Common

Eye discomfort for few hours after
Subconjunctival haemorrhage (blood shot eye)
Increased pressure in the eye

These usually resolve within a few days. Use the eye drops provided if they occur, and over the counter pain relievers.

Serious

Serious complications are rare. These include

You should report to your ophthalmologist or their staff if you experience any of the following symptoms after the procedure:

Flashes in your eye
A sudden increase in floaters in your eye
Severe Redness
Severe Pain
Reduced vision

Any of the above symptoms could be a sign of infection or other serious complications. Please call to discuss with your ophthalmologist or their staff.

Most side effects usually resolve spontaneously or can be managed using lubricating eye drops.

Severe infection however is serious and can lead to blindness or even loss of the eye, so it is important to contact your ophthalmologist or their staff if your symptoms persist after a day. This is so you can be examined and treatment started promptly if it is a serious complications.