Eye Injections for the Retina: What You Need to Know

The phrase "eye injection" sounds intimidating, but intravitreal injections have become one of the most important advances in retinal care. These injections have transformed the prognosis for diseases like wet macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema, and retinal vein occlusion.

What Are Anti-VEGF Injections?

VEGF stands for vascular endothelial growth factor. In normal tissues, VEGF helps blood vessels grow. In certain retinal diseases, excess VEGF causes abnormal blood vessels that leak and bleed.

Anti-VEGF medications block this growth factor, causing the abnormal vessels to regress and reducing leakage. Approved anti-VEGF drugs include ranibizumab (Lucentis), aflibercept (Eylea), bevacizumab (Avastin, used off-label but widely in India), and brolucizumab (Beovu).

Conditions Treated

Wet age-related macular degeneration. Diabetic macular edema. Diabetic retinopathy (both to treat edema and as an alternative to panretinal photocoagulation). Retinal vein occlusions with macular edema. Myopic choroidal neovascularisation. Other less common retinal neovascular diseases.

What the Procedure Involves

The procedure is done in the clinic, not an operating room. The eye is cleaned thoroughly with betadine. Topical anesthetic drops are applied — no injection of anesthesia is needed. An eye speculum holds the eyelids open. The medication is injected through the white of the eye (sclera) using a very fine needle directly into the vitreous cavity. The entire injection takes only seconds.

What It Feels Like

Most patients report minimal discomfort — a brief pressure sensation during the injection itself. Some scratchy or gritty feeling may persist for several hours due to the betadine cleaning. There is no needle going into the pupil or retina — the injection is to the side, behind the lens.

After the Injection

Avoid rubbing your eye and swimming for a few days. Use any prescribed antibiotic or anti-inflammatory drops as directed. Expect some floaters — you may see the medication bubble initially. Mild redness at the injection site is normal. Report any severe pain, dramatic vision loss, or significant redness — these could indicate a rare complication like infection.

Treatment Schedule

Initial treatment for wet AMD or diabetic macular edema typically involves 3 monthly injections. After the loading phase, injections are continued every 4 to 12 weeks based on disease activity. OCT imaging at each visit guides decisions on treatment timing.

Some patients can eventually space out injections further or even stop for periods. Others require more frequent treatment long-term.

Results

Anti-VEGF injections have dramatically improved outcomes. Vision stabilises or improves in the majority of patients. Compared to treatments from 20 years ago, rates of legal blindness from wet AMD have decreased significantly.

Kenz Eye Care Services

We provide comprehensive assessment of conditions treatable with anti-VEGF injections. We coordinate with retinal specialists for injection treatment. We monitor response with OCT and adjust treatment plans based on findings.

Book Your Retina Evaluation

Call Kenz Eye Care at 93927 01759 to schedule your consultation in Kokapet.