Therapeutic Injections for Macular Degeneration
Lucentis, Avastin & Eylea Injections for Macular Degeneration
With respect to treating wet macular degeneration, there have been some exciting new developments in the past several years. Three drugs, Lucentis, Avastin and Eylea, are used to inhibit the growth of blood vessels under the retina and help prevent further vision loss.
In technical terms, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) is a protein that encourages the formation of unhealthy new blood vessels under the retina. These weak blood vessels can leak, causing the rapid destruction of the macula, and resulting in central vision loss. Lucentis, Avastin and Eylea work by inhibiting VEGF. Since they target wet AMD earlier in its development, they have a positive impact of preventing vision loss.
Lucentis, Avastin and Eylea are given to patients with active, leaky blood vessels, initially in a series of three (3) injections given four (4) weeks apart. In the interim, there will be close follow-up by your doctor. He / she may also schedule additional testing including fluorescein angiography, indocyanine green angiography, and optical coherence tomography to monitor the effects of the medication on the blood vessels.
Lucentis and Avastin are the first drugs that have actually demonstrated improved vision. Approximately 40 percent of patients treated with these drugs have improvement in their vision. In addition, 90 percent are able to stabilize their vision and prevent further vision loss. Eylea is a newer drug with similar efficacy. Some patients that don't respond to Avastin or Lucentis respond to Eylea, and vice versa.
Our highly skilled retinal specialist performs these therapeutic injections in our office on an outpatient basis. You will be greeted by our injection team on the day of your injection. Your eye will be numbed for the procedure and the medication will be injected by your retina specialist. Following the procedure, you may experience some mild discomfort in the eye. Most patients will also experience “floaters”, black spots floating across their vision for a couple of days. The most common side effects are blurry vision, redness, and sensitivity to light. Eye injections can also increase your eye pressure. However, the positive effects of stopping the leaking vessels, preventing further damage to the macula and preserving remaining central vision, normally outweigh the risks. The maximal effect of the medication takes about 4 weeks.
Although infection rarely results from an injection, you should notify your doctor immediately if symptoms, such as some pain or progressive decreased vision, should develop in the days following treatment. While highly unlikely, if you should experience a sudden onset of floaters or flashes in your eye, this can be an indication of a detached retina. Therefore, you should also notify your doctor.
Following the procedure, you may experience some mild discomfort in the eye. The most common side effects are blurry vision, redness, and sensitivity to light. Eye injections can also increase your eye pressure. Following treatment, you will need to be monitored on a regular basis by your doctor, so that he can assess the status of the wet AMD as well as your overall eye health.
You will not be able to drive immediately after the procedure. Therefore, you should have someone drive you to our office. You will be able to resume your normal activities later the same day.