What Is an Intravitreal Injection?

An intravitreal injection is a procedure used to deliver medication into the vitreous cavity of your eye, which contains a gel-like substance. The medication delivered through the procedure treats specific eye conditions to correct your vision. Advances in medical technologies have improved the success rates for treatments like these.

Eye injections are among the most effective treatments for a wide range of eye problems. A top-rated retina specialist chooses the best quadrant of your eye for easy access during the injection. Local anesthesia is used to ease any discomfort during the procedure.

Eye injections are among the many in-office procedures performed by the renowned retina doctors at Vitreous Retina Macula Consultants of New York (VRMNY), the center for ophthalmology. At their state-of-the-art facilities in Manhattan, Westchester and Brooklyn, experienced ophthalmologists perform the intravitreal injection procedure and other advanced eye treatments.

What’s Contained in an Intravitreal Injection?

Depending on your health and your doctor’s evaluation, medications used in intravitreal injections may include:

• Antibiotics, antifungal and antiviral drugs. An eye infection is a serious problem and requires urgent resolution. Your doctor administers an injection of antibiotics, antifungal and antiviral drugs to treat infections such as endophthalmitis and retinitis. Your NYC eye doctor uses these drugs in combination with other medications to treat specific eye conditions.
• Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) drugs. Anti-VEGF drugs are the most common types of drugs used in intravitreal treatment. The drugs treat a variety of retinal diseases and have popularized this advanced treatment procedure.
• Intravitreal steroids. These are used to reduce inflammation of the retina. Some eye conditions cause inflammation, which causes discomfort.
• Eye repair medication. This eye injection is used for the repair of a retinal detachment. During the injection, the doctor inserts a small gas bubble that aids healing.

Your eye doctor at VRMNY discusses every step in the procedure with you beforehand. The eye doctors at the largest, most ell-established eye practice in New York listen to your concerns and explain the benefits of the procedure.

What Eye Conditions Can an Intravitreal Injection Treat?

Intravitreal injection has emerged as the most effective way to deliver medication to the complex internal components of your eye. Eye diseases treated by intravitreal injections include:

• Uveitis
• Retinal vein occlusion
• Neovascular age-related macular degeneration
• Diabetic macular edema
• Non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy
• Proliferative diabetic retinopathy
• Cystoid macular edema
• Choroidal neovascular membrane
• Retinal vein occlusions
• Endophthalmitis

Retinal conditions caused by fluid leakage respond well to these injections. Other conditions caused by new blood vessel growth may also benefit from injections. Your eye specialist at VRMNY determines whether to administer the injection after a thorough examination of your eye and a review of your medical history.

What Common Drugs Do Doctors Use for Intravitreal Injection?

Your trained ophthalmologist uses different drugs for intravitreal injection, based on your eye diagnosis. Common intravitreal injection treatments include:

• Avastin eye injection. Avastin is a drug administered to block the growth of abnormal blood vessels in the back of your eye. Such vessels can leak and affect your vision. Your doctor may recommend an Avastin intravitreal injection to slow vision loss if you have wet age-related macular
• Eylea eye injection. Eylea is a prescription eye medicine used to treat wet age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and macular edema.
• Eye injections for diabetes. Ranibizumab and aflibercept are used to treat diabetic maculopathy. The injection into your eyes prevents new blood vessels from forming at the back of your eye. These are also effective eye injections for diabetic retinopathy.
• Dexamethasone intravitreal injection. Dexamethasone is one of the more common intravitreal eye injections. This steroid injection helps treat swelling caused by blood vessel issues in your eye. Doctors also inject dexamethasone to treat non-infectious uveitis.
• Ocriplasmin intravitreal injection. Ocriplasmin is used to treat symptomatic vitreomacular adhesion.
• Alteplase intravitreal injection. Alteplase is a thrombolytic drug used to dissolve blood clots in your eye.

At VRMNY, you go through an elaborate diagnostic procedure that relies on advanced diagnostic imaging to correctly diagnose your eye problem. Only then does your eye doctor develop the most effective treatment plan.

What Is the Intravitreal Injection Procedure?

The intravitreal injection procedure is an outpatient, in-office eye procedure. The steps involved in the intravitreal injection include:

1. Your retina specialist prepares you for the injection and ensures your comfort. For the procedure, you sit at a chair with your neck well supported.
2. Anesthe The doctor uses an appropriate anesthetic, such as gel or eye drops, on your eye and eyelids to prevent any discomfort.
3. Your ophthalmologist cleans your eye to kill bacteria. An eye speculum keeps your eye open during the cleaning and the injection.
4. Using a tiny needle, the doctor administers the medication through the white part of your eye. You may feel some pressure, but no pain. Your eye is then cleaned and the speculum removed.
5. The retina specialist monitors the intraocular pressure after the injection for about 30 minutes.
6. You must arrange for someone to drive you home, because you can’t drive yourself for at least six hours.

This advanced eye treatment has minimal risks. While you may feel like your eyes are drier than normal, making them tear up more often for a few days, you can return to your normal activities as soon as you’re comfortable. Your eye doctor schedules a follow up appointment and may repeat the eye injection to treat the condition fully.

Eye injections are highly effective for treating various eye diseases. Contact the top eye specialist at VRMNY today for intravitreal injections and other leading-edge eye treatments.