Retinal Injections

Intravitreal Retinal Injections in Dothan

Intravitreal Injections

An intravitreal (pronounced in tra VIT re al) injection is a procedure to place a medication directly into the space in the back of the eye called the vitreous cavity, which is filled with a jelly-like fluid called the vitreous humor gel.


The procedure is usually performed by a trained retina specialist in a medical office setting. When there are very high levels of VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) in the eye, it can cause blood vessels to swell and leak fluid and also begin the growth of abnormal blood vessels.

This can lead to retinal damage and the symptoms people experience. Complications following an eye injection are rare. In fact, the chance of having any complication following the injection of medicine into your eye is one in one thousand. A minor rare complication can be the presence of a small amount of bleeding visible in the white of your eye near the needle entry point. This usually clears within a week.

FAQs

How do intravitreal injections work?

Anti-VEGF medicines are used to reduce bleeding and leakage from blood vessels associated with diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, and retinal vein occlusion.


What can I expect if my ophthalmologist recommends an eye injection?
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  • An anesthetic will numb the surface of your eyeball so you don’t feel pain. The anesthetic may be in eyedrops or eye gel form. Sometimes you might get a small injection of numbing medicine.

  • An antiseptic on your eye and eyelids will help prevent infection from bacteria near the eye.

  • Your ophthalmologist will likely help you hold your eye open with a small device called a speculum. It also helps to prevent infection from bacteria on the lids.

  • Your ophthalmologist will ask you to look in a certain direction to help you not to see the needle and help them inject medicine in a specific part of the eye.

  • You will get the injection. The needle is very thin. You will probably feel only pressure and not a sharp sensation. The injection is through the white part of your eye.