Do intravitreal injections hurt? Read a patient’s experience!

Intravitreal injections are used to treat macular diseases such as wet age-related macular degeneration, diabetic macular oedema and retinal vein occlusion. They are administered in a minor procedure room using local anaesthetic drops which take seconds to work.

Here, in this article, one of our leading eye specialists Mr Praveen Patel explains what it’s like to have an eye injection sharing a real patient’s experience. He also explains how you can prepare for the procedure and what to expect afterwards.

How have your patients described having an eye injection?

One of my patients wrote a lovely summary of what it’s like to have an injection:

“The nurse called me into the room where the procedure was going to take place, she put me at my ease and explained what she would be doing to prepare me for my injection. Having put anaesthetic drops and iodine drops into my eye, Mr Patel arrived and continued to prepare me for my procedure.…

The moment had come for which I am sure a lot of people would be dreading. More anaesthetic drops were administered and the eye was cleaned thoroughly, a cover was placed over my face leaving the eye exposed, then the eyelid was held open with the use of a clip device, not at all uncomfortable…

Now the injection, was not at all what I was expecting, a slight sensation of pressure to the eye followed by a vision of swirling liquid pouring into the eye. It was over and have to say, painless…”
 

Are these injections painful?

Although most patients don’t experience pain, there can be a hot or cold feeling or a feeling of pressure which lasts for seconds. Often people see a swirling pattern or floating dark circles in their vision immediately after the injections. These tend to settle over minutes or hours.
 

How many injections are needed?

I recommend starting with carrying out an injection every four to six weeks for three treatments before assessing whether the injections are working. If there is a positive result from the injections I would then recommend continuing with the injections but less frequently though this will vary between individuals.

It’s difficult to put a number on the number of injections needed for successful treatment particularly as treatment is often needed over several years.

It’s important to remember that the injections are good at stopping blood vessel leakage in the retina but the effects of the injection can wear off hence the need for a series of injections.
 

Is there anything I should do to prepare myself?

Talking to the medical team about what to expect from the injection, making sure all your questions are answered and reading information about the injection procedure are the best way of preparing for the injection.
 

What can I not do following the injections?

I advise patients to take the eye drops they are given to make sure the eye does not become painful. As one of the risks of treatment is an infection, patients are also advised not to swim or wear contact lenses for three to four days after the injection. It's also important not to drive or carry out tasks which rely on vision on the day of the injection as the eye can be sore and the vision can be blurred making it difficult to do things requiring concentration.
 

What should I expect during recovery?

Often the eye can be red and sore after the injection and this can take a few days to settle down. Sometimes the redness can last for a couple of weeks. The eye drops given after the injection help to prevent pain and soreness.

The main reason for the soreness is not the injection itself but is the effect of iodine drops on the eye. Iodine drops are used immediately before the injection to reduce the risk of infection but can cause scratches or dryness on the surface of the eye which can take a few days to heal or settle.
 

How was this particular patient the following day?

As the last word, I’ll go back to the patient who wrote about their injection and who said this about the next day (the patient went on to have several more injections).

“After putting the eye drops in, I took myself off to partake in which is for me my favourite hobby – golf. Once at the course, I started to test out my left eye vision, and have to say felt encouraged by the distinct improvement. Still no discomfort from yesterday’s procedure, and a marked difference in the central vision, I could now see the flag on the green looking through my left eye, before I would not have seen it in the central vision, the cloudiness was beginning to clarify, not perfect, but an improvement…”


You can book an appointment with Mr Patel now via his Top Doctor’s profile here!