What is an intraocular injection?

It’s an injection into the vitreous, the gel of the eye. It is performed for the placement of a drug in the eye, near the retina. This is a very effective way of administering drugs and the most effective treatment option in certain conditions. Injections are particularly effective when administered in the early stages of the disease.

Main indications

• Age related macular degeneration
• Diabetic retinopathy
• Retinal vein occlusion
• Eye inflammation
• Neovascular glaucoma
• Postoperative macular edema
• Infection

These conditions often require repeated intravitreal injections as the effect of medications decreases over time.

Intraocular injection procedure

The eye is disinfected and a local anesthetic is administered. Then, the drug is injected into your vitreous body: you may feel slight pressure in the eye when this is done.

Possible side effects

After injection, a foreign body sensation, mild redness and tearing often occurs which disappears within 24 hours under administration of artificial tears. There may be local redness at the injection site from localized surface bleeding under the clear tissue or conjunctiva covering the white of the eye, the known hyposphagma. Sometimes round spots can be perceived at the bottom of the vision. These are tiny air bubbles – they are harmless and will be absorbed within 24 hours.

Potential risks

Injecting any drug into the eye can lead to complications. Infection in the eye (endophthalmitis) is possible as a result of intra injection. The risk is low (estimated at less than 1 per 3500 injections). Such an infection must be treated immediately.

Symptoms of an infection after an injection are increased pain, generalized redness of the white part of the eye, loss of vision and increased spots. If there is any of these symptoms after injection, you should contact the clinic immediately.

What drugs are injected?

The most common intra-glass medicines are Beovu, Lucentis, Eylea, Avastin, Ozurdex and Triamcinolone Acetonide.