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Intravitreal injections for the treatment of eye diseases

Intravitreal injections for the treatment of eye diseases

Top Doctors
Top Doctors editorial
Top Doctors
Created by: Top Doctors editorial Sources: Top Doctors CO
Edited by: TOP DOCTORS® at 30/03/2023

Intravitreal injections consist millimeter introducing needles into the vitreous. The main pathology in question is the wet form of macular degeneration (AMD). Proper monitoring and administration of injections reduced practically to zero the probability of blindness.

Intravitreal: Understanding

Intravitreal injection technique involves the careful introduction inside the eye (vitreous), through the sclera (white of the eye), needle very small. The treatment is performed under local anesthesia using a combination of anesthetic drops, so the pain is bearable, and has an extremely short duration, equivalent to injections to draw blood in the arm.

 

Treatable diseases with intravitreal injections

Currently the main pathology being treated with intravitreal injection is the wet form of macular degeneration (AMD). biological treatments which inhibit vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), mainly responsible for this disease, as well as diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema, macular degeneration myopia, macular edema and thrombosis are used retinal. Alternatively they can also be used intravitreal injections of steroids in certain contexts.Much less common is the use of chemotherapy to treat intraocular intraocular intraocular tumors, lymphomas or inflammation. Also antibiotics and antivirals to certain intraocular infections. O intravitreal injections of air or gases that may be useful for some forms of retinal detachment.

Contraindications to the intravitreal injection

In general there is no contraindication to receive intravitreal injections. The only special precaution to be taken is that there is no eye infection (conjunctivitis, sties ...) at the time of injection, the risk of developing serious complications such as intraocular infections.The effectiveness of treatment is greater the earlier it starts since the disease appears, and the higher the frequency of reviews and injections in the initial months of the disease. For example, in the wet form of macular degeneration (AMD), the periods between follow-up visits should not be generally above 6 or 8 weeks.

Results of intravitreal

The results with intravitreal are favorable in the vast majority of cases. But the important thing is the treatment regimen and the time passing between intravitreal injections administered.There is no maximum limit on the number of injections that can receive an eye. And usually repeated injections every 4 weeks when necessary.

Before or after treatment with injections

any prior or subsequent treatment is required by patients receiving intravitreal injections. It has been shown that the use of antibiotics before and / or after the injection is dangerous and can not prevent the risk of infection, but it increases. In pre intravitreal moments drops diluted povidone asepticize get to the point of injection. This is sufficient and accepted by international clinical practice guidelines.Patients should be aware of possible loss of vision and pain in the days following injection. In this case, they should immediately consult their physician ophthalmology and retina to rule out any infection secondary to injection, which occurs on very rare in approximately 1 in 1,000 injections.In conclusion it could be said that, as a patient do you properly monitored and properly placed shots at the right times, the possibility of going blind is minimal.

Ophthalmology