$Vintage ophthalmic refraction equipment in a clinical room.$ Fig. 1 · Clinic — medical retina

MEDICAL RETINA

Procedure · Medical retina

Intravitreal injections

A quick injection of medicine into the eye, given in clinic — the mainstay treatment for the leaking, swelling retina of macular degeneration, diabetes and vein occlusion.

Certain retinal conditions cause fluid to leak and the central retina to swell. Medicines called anti-VEGF agents (and sometimes steroids) reduce that leakage. They work only when placed inside the eye, so they are injected through the white of the eye after numbing drops and antiseptic.

The injection itself takes seconds; the eye is held gently open and you are asked to look in a set direction. It is an outpatient procedure, not theatre surgery, and is usually given as a course over months.

Who it is for

People with wet (neovascular) age-related macular degeneration, diabetic macular oedema, or macular swelling from retinal vein occlusion — conditions where treating the leak protects central vision.

Extreme macro photograph of a human eye and iris. — **Fig. 1** · The eye — macro

What to expect

Before, during, and after.

Before

Numbing and antiseptic

Numbing drops, antiseptic and a small holder keep the eye comfortable and clean while the injection is prepared.

During

Over in seconds

You feel brief pressure and perhaps a fleeting sting as the medicine is given. It is over in seconds.

After

A day of grittiness

The eye may feel gritty and look a little red for a day, and floaters may appear briefly. You will be told the warning signs to watch for and when the next injection is due.

Risks, stated plainly

Injections into the eye are a routine, well-established treatment, but none is entirely without risk. The ones worth understanding are:

Infection inside the eye (endophthalmitis). The most important risk, though rare — which is why you are told to seek help urgently for increasing pain, redness or falling vision in the days after an injection.
A small red patch on the white of the eye.
A brief rise in eye pressure after the injection.
Floaters, which usually settle.
With steroid injections, cataract and raised pressure over time.

Serious problems are uncommon and treatable when caught early.

Conditions treated this way

Consultation

Talk it through with Dr. Diafas.

Whether injections are right for you is a decision made together, after your scans and symptoms are reviewed.

Refer a patient

This page provides general information only and is not a substitute for an individual consultation. If you are worried about your vision, seek medical advice.