You Need an Eye Injection: Here's What You Should Know

Many of our patients need eye injections to manage their eye disease. In this video, Dr. Ankoor Shah talks you through the process of an eye injection so that you are at ease prior to your treatment. These treatments make a remarkable difference in vision for many conditions such as macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema or vein occlusions.

[@Shanibhai111]

I just had my eye injection an hour ago from Lahore, Pakistan. It was totally pain free :) i was scared during the procedure but it didn't hurt at all

[@rehanashah9835]

What was that injection?eyelea?

[@khalidgul6564]

How are you feeling now and what was the injection brand? Was it Avastin?

[@TweetyTweets]

I did it because of you, now waiting on results ,

[@teresaharris-travelbybooks5564]

It is NOT pain free. I've had four treatments so far: one every six weeks. This is what happens. First they do a scan, which is having an image taken of the back inside of your eye. That is painless. Then you go to a chair, lean your head back, and get a numbing gel put in your eye. It's not painful but is uncomfortable as getting anything put in your eye would be; mabe a slight stinging. Then they use a Betadine solution in the eye to prevent infection and prepare the eye. By this time, your eye is tearing and watery and quite uncomfortable. Then they force your eyelids open with a device that holds them apart, so you can't blink. Then the injections is given and depending on the care the doctor uses, it can hurt a little, or a lot. Then they snatch the restraining device from the eye and if they're not very careful doing that, it will inflict damage to the eye, that in the coming hours, will be unbearably painful and can hurt for several days. Then the nurse rinses the eye to get the Betadine out and applies some antibiotic ointment. Oh, and if the doctor accidentally hits a blood vessel when he inserts the needle, the eye will bleed and then proceed to be a terrifying blood red which will last about a week. All of the tearing and watery eyes ( both eyes will water and feel bad, even if only one eye is treated) will cause the sinuses to become inflamed ( like you've been crying) and you could have a slight headache. So, yeah, it's painless alright.

[@annmiller6294]

Totally agree!

[@unclephd6190]

exactly the same happened with me.. very accurate.. i felt very short lived pain when needle was injected. the soap pain can be avoided if they replace betadine antiseptic with chlorhexidine instead which is as effective.

[@beenthrre9675]

How are feeling now ? I wish you the best.I may want to do .Thanks.

[@teresaharris-travelbybooks5564]

@@beenthrre9675 things are getting better. I switched doctors, so I think mabe I'll receive better treatment. (I'll have to let you know about that.) My macular degeneration is in remission but that doesn't mean that I can end the treatments. It just means that the leaky blood vessels; in the back of my eye; have stopped leaking, so hopefully there won't be any further damage to the eye, or to my vision. EDIT: It's October 2022 now, and I just had my sixth injection. The decision to switch to a new doctor, was the right decision. The treatment is still uncomfortable but nowhere near as bad as it was. The MD in my left eye is in remission, after five treatments. My treatment plan has been extended out to once every 11 or 12 weeks.

[@KoolT]

SO IT SAVES YOUR SIGHT?

[@jessecontreras244]

I was schedule for three injections in Texas, the first injection was scary but I got something called "becurious", not sure if its spell correctly, its a eye injection that goes behind the eye nerve to numb the eye, then there is another way to numb the eye with only eye drops, On my third injection the assistance did not do the "bicurious" injection she only apply eye drops twice wait afew minute to numb my eyes but this one I felt the the needle and it hurt a bi I didn't like it. Which one do you recommend to use because these numb procedures are not clearly explained to patients steps are not clear

[@ravikumarts8845]

After reading so many comments on having injection in the eyes I got scared and postpone my visit for the time being and searching for any other slternate treatment.

[@amna86an]

Which medicine is safe for the eye and less sideeffect , avastin ?

[@user-ib8qu4cy5b]

I have been getting shots in my eyes for months without numbing, what do you use because it really hurts me?

[@shaynadavidovhansonrealtor]

My dad went through 2 yrs of painful injections to supposedly help his macular degeneration - Avastin only left him with permanent scarring.. which the scareing from reaction to Avastin ledt my dad blind …. Now what can we do??

[@petewilliams7654]

I've had 2 in the left eye, and as the doc said it's not painful at all, but it is very uncomfortable.

[@tetasnuttyworld6203]

But you have no choice but to do it or go blind

[@thangvo2118]

I feel better now since I’m going to have my eye poke at tomorrow. Thanks doc!

[@faustbos]

How did it go? I can tell you from my own experience, it quite painless. The things about the procedure which cause discomfort are light sensativity if yoou have to get your pupils dilated for an exam. Additionally, I am very sensitive (allergic) to the standard numbing drug that is used, but after just dealing with that for years, I mentioned it and they said "oh we have another one we can use". If you feel discomfort, mention it. The injection itself is nothing. You honestly don't feel a thing. You will feel a pressure perhaps when the needle goes in. The eye is quite a tough little organ, so you might feel the eye moving, which is an odd sensation, no pain though. Once the needle is in, it will look like you are looking at a lava lamp. I will sleep off the meds for some hours afterward. Hope it all went well for you. The best part of the procedure is telling your friends what you just did and see them freak out.

[@aashakabra]

How many injections you had to take?

[@faustbos]

@@aashakabra Not sure if that was directed to me or not. I've been in treatment for 6 years or so, I go every 8 weeks, with a break now and then. I was down to 40% vision in one eye and 60% in the other. Currently I'm 95% and 100%. I still have distortion, and I do the treatments to maintain that status. I'm starting on a new drug net vABYSMO. One doctor used to put a salve in my eye after the injection. Honestly, that hurt. I finally asked him to stop. The other painful thing is I have a sensativity to the betazyme solution. Going to try a new solution next visit.

[@tagnut1952]

@@faustbos LOL, I like your last sentence. Kinda reminds me telling my buddies what to expect who were going in for a vasectomy. They'd say, they give you a shot where??? Little nurse came in to give me a shot in the scrotum and says, you may feel a little discomfort. I replied, YA THINK??? (actually, the whole procedure wasn't a big deal). Same with cataracts. You're semi awake and see a scalpel coming towards your eye and you don't even care. Hard to explain until you have it done. I'm fixin' to start these eyeball shots. My mom had them done for years so I know a little bit about it. She did pretty good with them. Beats going blind for sure!

[@PatriciaMartinez-ty4er]

Morning of injection….No COFFEE. Then I take 2 Benadryls. Nice and relaxed. “Piece of cake”.

[@Volaris27]

No pain from start to finish? Well not for me! I tell the dr that i feel the needle going in and her answer is that I'm suppose to feel "pressure". Well its a lot more than pressure and also i feel pain when she puts in the thingy thats suppose to keep your eye lid open.. Im sore for hrs afterwards. I had my 2nd shot today and Im not going back. They dont listen when i say it hurts me.

[@jamesvolz9105]

Pain free? That is just hard to believe.

[@teresaharris-travelbybooks5564]

It is not pain free. Read the comments that I posted.

[@sarahmccoy1941]

Doctor, have you ever had a hypodermic needle stuck into your eye? It is easy to say that something is painless or well-tolerated or whatever, when it is not them who is going to have the procedure done. It might be a good training thing to empathy to have a doctor have an eye injection, with some substance that will not hurt the eye. It is hard for me to believe that this is a pain-free experience.

[@teresaharris-travelbybooks5564]

It is not. Read the comments that I've posted.

[@sarahmccoy1941]

What you should know......run for the hills! LOL

[@presto709]

A doctor doesn't have to have his arm in a cast in order to tell his patients what it is like to have a cast on. He learns this in his training and then from feedback from his patients.

[@sarahmccoy1941]

@@presto709 Whenever a medical care professional says something is tolerable, that means it is going to hurt. Or at least that has been my experience.

[@fordtrbo]

Just had it done 5 hours ago. Slight pressure for a millisecond, absolutely no pain

[@pamelathompson1216]

I have had two injections in my eye..and it HURTS! Neither one was pain free....not even close...The last one took three days for the pain to go away....WHY am I experiencing this pain? The first time, the Betadine was not washed out of my eye...and I felt an intense burning sensation for hours...It was horrible unrelenting pain.

[@kimberlyrodgers661]

I wish it was true that it didn’t hurt… no matter how many numbing drops they use I still feel a pinch.

[@Mark_Ocain]

The cost of the treatment is where the real pain is.

[@sarahmccoy1941]

Do these eye injections increase a patient’s risk for developing glaucoma?

[@teresaharris-travelbybooks5564]

The injection does cause a temporary increase in ocular pressure. Whether that could cause glaucoma, over a span of time; I don't have a definitive answer. I do know the nurse has started checking my eye pressure; at every visit; so that leads me to believe it must be possible.

[@HelixAmenities]

lol he thew the dentists under the bus.

[@rustydog1236]

Let us have an old doctor come out and tell us it doesnt hurt a bit after he's developed the disease and had a few jabs to the eyes. Why is it always a young pup doctor whose barely had a flu shot yet tells how pain free everything is?

[@tagnut1952]

AMEN Brother. I concur.