Potential side effects of anti-VEGF eye injections : Floaters

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Ophthalmologist, explains the potential side effects for patients that are getting anti-VEGF eye injections.  For more information on diabetes and other related conditions please contact your local family physician or endocrinologist.

Ophthalmologist, explains the potential side effects for patients that are getting anti-VEGF eye injections.  For more information on diabetes and other related conditions please contact your local family physician or endocrinologist.

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Video transcript

Dr. Michael Dollin, MD, FRCSC, Ophthalmologist

Duration: 3 minutes and 23 seconds

If you have a condition such as wet macular degeneration or retinal vein occlusion, your eye doctor may be administering injections into your eyes. These injections are generally very safe and are the most likely treatment to stabilize and ideally improve your vision.

Anti VEGF injections are generally very safe, but there are some risks that come with these treatments. One of the rarest but most potentially concerning side effects is a 1 in 3000 risk of infection. Your doctor will sterilize your eye before treatment and reduce this risk to as low as possible but there is always a very small risk of infection in the eye because a tiny needle is inserted into the eye to deliver the medicine and that is always a pathway where bacteria could theoretically enter your eye. This is incredibly rare, but when it occurs, patients typically notice worsening vision, pain and increasing eye redness approximately two to three days from the injection.

These infections are generally treatable with antibiotics but it's important to reach out to your eye care provider as soon as possible because the sooner antibiotics are administered, the better the outcomes are likely to be.

Other complications can occur with anti VEGF injections. Typically, iodine is used to sterilize the eye prior to treatment and afterwards there can be irritation in the eye for a day or so. This is something to be aware of and if you have significant pain, make sure that you follow up with your eye care provider as there are other complications that can mimic this that could be more serious.

Similarly, there's often a small patch of blood that can be seen on the white part of the eye at the site where the injection is given that usually is of no concern beyond the cosmetic appearance of that small hemorrhage. If the vision is good and the eye is comfortable, a small hemorrhage on the eye is nothing to worry about.

Sometimes after injections there can be floaters in the eye. Floaters are formed when microscopic collagen fibres clump together in the vitreous of the eye and cast tiny shadows on to the retina. They are typically seen as tiny spots in your vision. Floaters usually resolve on their own after a few days.

Patients may also notice a swirling of medicine inside their eye after the injection and sometimes even a small black dot. Typically, this is a small bubble of gas that may have been present in the syringe prior to injection, and usually resolves within a day or two. The swelling of the medicine will also resolve quickly usually within a few hours as the medicine circulates through the eye. Immediately after the injection it's also possible for the eye to go dark. This is caused if the pressure in the eye goes up quite high due to injecting liquid into the eye. This will usually resolve within a few minutes. If the vision remains dark for a prolonged period of time your eye physician may also reduce the pressure by taking some pressure out of the eye. In general, the pressure returns to normal within about half an hour of the injection.

If you have glaucoma it may be worth discussing ways of lowering the pressure before your injections with your doctor. If your glaucoma is more advanced or if you're on numerous pressure lowering drops you should have a discussion with your eye doctor.

For more information on the potential side effects and complications of getting anti-VEGF injections in your eyes, please speak to your local eye specialist or ophthalmologist.

Presenter: Dr. Michael Dollin, Ophthalmologist, Ottawa, ON

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96 out of 100 people got some of these questions wrong... ( 14 participated.)

Potential side effects of anti-VEGF eye injections

Questions
 
True
False
1

Anti-VEGF eye injections are generally very safe and meant to stabilize and improve your vision.

Explanation:

If you have a condition such as wet macular degeneration or retinal vein occlusion, your eye doctor may be administering injections into your eyes. These injections are generally very safe and are the most likely treatment to stabilize and ideally improve your vision.

2

One of the rarest but most potentially concerning side effects is a 1 in 30,000 risk of infection. Your doctor will sterilize your eye before treatment and reduce this risk to as low as possible but there is always a very small risk of infection in the eye because a tiny needle is inserted into the eye to deliver the medicine and that is always a pathway where bacteria could theoretically enter your eye.

Explanation:

One of the rarest but most potentially concerning side effects is a 1 in 3000 risk of infection. Your doctor will sterilize your eye before treatment and reduce this risk to as low as possible but there is always a very small risk of infection in the eye because a tiny needle is inserted into the eye to deliver the medicine and that is always a pathway where bacteria could theoretically enter your eye.

3

Although infections from eye injections are incredibly rare, it is important to see your eye doctor as soon as you suspect a problem because the sooner antibiotics are administered, the better the outcomes are likely to be.

Explanation:

These infections are generally treatable with antibiotics but it's important to reach out to your eye care provider as soon as possible because the sooner antibiotics are administered, the better the outcomes are likely to be.

4

After an anti-VEGF injection, there can often be a small patch of blood on the white part of the eye. It is usually of no concern and will go away fairly quickly.

Explanation:

There's often a small patch of blood that can be seen on the white part of the eye at the site where the injection is given that usually is of no concern beyond the cosmetic appearance of that small hemorrhage. If the vision is good and the eye is comfortable, a small hemorrhage on the eye is nothing to worry about.

5

Sometimes after injections there can be floaters in the eye. Floaters are formed when microscopic collagen fibres clump together in the vitreous of the eye and cast tiny shadows on to the retina.

Explanation:

Sometimes after injections there can be floaters in the eye. Floaters are formed when microscopic collagen fibres clump together in the vitreous of the eye and cast tiny shadows on to the retina. They are typically seen as tiny spots in your vision. Floaters usually resolve on their own after a few days.

6

Other side effects involve seeing a swirling in the eye after the injection is administered, as well as weeing a small black dot in the vision due to a gas bubble.

Explanation:

Patients may also notice a swirling of medicine inside their eye after the injection and sometimes even a small black dot. Typically, this is a small bubble of gas that may have been present in the syringe prior to injection, and usually resolves within a day or two.

7

Immediately after the injection it's also possible for the eye to go dark. This is caused if the pressure in the eye goes up quite high due to injecting liquid into the eye. This will usually resolve within a few hours.

Explanation:

Immediately after the injection it's also possible for the eye to go dark. This is caused if the pressure in the eye goes up quite high due to injecting liquid into the eye. This will usually resolve within a few minutes.

This content is for informational purposes only, and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare professional with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

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