Intravitreal injections are those that are injected inside the eye, in the vitreous chamber, behind the crystalline lens or intraocular lens, in case the patient has undergone cataract surgery. This type of treatment for ocular tension is relatively easy to perform. It involves pricking with a small-gauge needle about 3 or 4 mm from the limbus (the boundary between what people know as the “child of the eye”, i.e. the cornea and the white part of the eye, the conjunctiva). Before puncturing, the inside of the eye and the surrounding area is sterilized with an iodine solution.
Among Top Doctors’ team of medical professionals we count on Dr. José Luis Bueno Palacín, Ophthalmologist Expert in Intravitreal Injection, Vitrectomy, Epiretinal Membrane, Retinal Detachment and Macular Degeneration (AMD), who will explain the cases in which the application of this medical procedure is more useful, as well as its risks.
Applications of intravitreal injections in patients with macular degeneration
Intravitreal injections are used to treat various intraocular pathologies. The most frequently used are antiangiogenic injections, as they are applied to treat:
- Wet age-related macular degeneration.
- Alterations in the macula of high myopes, due to Diabetes, Venous Thrombosis and even some type of Benign Tumor or Congenital Vascular Anomaly.
- They can also be used to inject corticoids inside the eye, which are also used in case of Diabetes, Venous Thrombosis and also to treat Intraocular Inflammations.
- They can be used to administer intraocular antibiotics or antifungals in case of intraocular infections caused by bacteria or fungi.
- Finally, they can be used to inject gas into the eye, usually for the treatment of retinal detachment or some hemorrhages in the macula.
Are there any risks associated with intravitreal injections in any type of patient?
Depending on the type of drug that is injected, there may be a series of local and even general risks. A series of intraocular infections, increased ocular pressure, intraocular hemorrhages, retinal detachment and various other complications at the ocular level have been described; the risk of having a complication of cardiovascular origin at the general level may increase minimally. However, the occurrence of serious complications is very low if they are performed regularly. If the patient is afraid of pain when undergoing intravitreal injections, these injections are usually not very uncomfortable because anesthetic is injected into the eye before the injection.