The injection of medications such as steroids,  Avastin®, Lucentis®, or Eylea® into the eye has become important therapy in the treatment of wet macular degeneration, retinal vein occlusion, and diabetic retinopathy.

When first hearing that an eye injection is recommended, many patients are understandably apprehensive. But this treatment actually has minimal discomfort and has been shown in clinical trials to be very safe.

The procedure takes place in the office.  The physician will anesthetize the eye with a numbing eye drop or gel and then cleanse the eye with Betadine.  A lid holder may be used to briefly hold the eyelids open during the procedure.

After the procedure, patients may temporarily experience new floaters, foreign body sensation, tearing, dryness, or redness.  These usually resolve on their own within a couple days.

Risks of the procedure are small, but they do include infection, cataract, high eye pressure, bleeding, and retinal detachment.