Injection of medicine into or around the eye is a very common and well tolerated procedure. Injection of medicine directly into the eye is called intravitreal injection. This is the most common type of injection performed in our retinal clinics. 

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Anesthesia

Our physicians are well versed in various methods to numb the eye, and often the injection is completely painless and very comfortable.

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After care

Because of the numbing medicines we use to prepare your eye for an injection, your eye will remain numb for about 20 minutes after the injection. Please make sure you do not rub or touch the surface of the eye during this time, as you could accidentally scratch the surface of the eye and cause pain after the numbing wears off. 

 

Please avoid rubbing or putting anything into your eye for approximately 1 hour.  

 

If you experience a foreign body sensation or ache in your eye shortly after an injection, it should resolve by the next day. Tylenol and cold compresses can help alleviate discomfort after injections. If the discomfort does not resolve by the next day, or if you experience any new discomfort during the two weeks after your injection, please call our office.

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Floaters

It is common to experience a few new floaters after an injection. Most often this is the medication you are seeing and should resolve within a few days.  Rarely, the floaters can become more permanent.  If at any point you see hundreds of small dots or new cobweb-like floaters in your vision, please contact us immediately.

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Subconjunctival hemorrhage

It is common to have a small, painless bruise on the surface of the white part of your eye (the sclera).  Sometimes this area can spread and cause the eye to be quite red.  f you use aspirin or blood thinners, the red spot will occur more often, tend to be larger and take longer to resolve.  Painless brusining/redness is usually not of concern, however if at any point you have pain or decreased vision please contact us immediately. 

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Resuming prescription eye drops

Please wait at least one hour prior to resuming any prescription medication or putting any eye drops into the eye

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Risks

There is a very small risk of serious infection (one in a few thousand), retinal detachment, or other complications after an intravitreal injection. Please call us right away if you experience any significant eye pain, decreased vision, many new floaters.