Permanent large floaters after Avastin inj... - Macular Society

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Permanent large floaters after Avastin injection

No2020 profile image
15 Replies

Anyone with seemingly permanent large floaters after Avastin injections?

Considering probability of class action lawsuit.

Please report your experience to FDA

#Avastin#Permanent floaters

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No2020 profile image
No2020
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15 Replies
BasiRose profile image
BasiRose

Had a large, very large black floater but it took time before it went away. Dr told me it was an air bubble. Very scary thing. Heard others say they had experienced smaller permanent ones. I only had this experience 2 times in 23 injections. Had Avastin, Lucentis and Eylea injections and experienced the floater with Lucentis.

No2020 profile image
No2020 in reply to BasiRose

Thanks for the reply. I have had injections for over 4 years now, at intervals from 4 weeks to 7 weeks, but this floater has been diagnosed as a micro oil droplet. It has been there for over 5 months now and is unlikely to go away.

My research and talks with doctor convinces me that the compounding lab is somehow at fault.

I am hoping that others will eventually come forward with the same complaint. This shouldn't happen to others, even if I am stuck with this the rest of my life.

BasiRose profile image
BasiRose in reply to No2020

Yes, I was always nervous with the compounding of Avastin. I was never comfortable with the "off label" use. All my eyelashes fell out after starting Avastin. Im not sure if it was related. I got no results with it either. Switched to Lucentis. Insurance fought hard to reject due to high cost, $2,000 per injection vs. $50 for Avastin. WOW!! We are all at the mercy of these pharmaceutical and insurance companies. I am going to look up what you found and thanks for bringing that to light and I am hoping that you will have resolution! I know this is tough and it really threw me into a tailspin of depression when I first started injections.

No2020 profile image
No2020 in reply to BasiRose

After my 'incident' the doctor also switched me to lucentis. Less chance of contamination and errors. I understand the technology is there to make those syringes without using the silicone oil.. special needles, not those that are also used for insulin injections. The packing and transportation protocol is also very important. My doctor understands that I am not looking for a lawsuit.. I just need to understand and protect myself from this happening again. The injections work. But I strongly feel that the pharmaceutical companies are much more interested in the bottom line than people's dafety. Sad to say that it often takes a class action lawsuit to bring that to light. I am surprised that I haven't heard from others. I can't believe it was an isolated incident.

BasiRose profile image
BasiRose

It's not an isolated incident. There was surprisingly much on the internet re the syringes and proper storage. Thanks for bringing this info out to us. I always believe in "buyer beware" and "be your own health advocate." We need to question and research what doctors give us and be sure at least we did what we could to safeguard our health to the best of our ability. Please keep me posted and I wish you the best going forward and I pray for you.

No2020 profile image
No2020 in reply to BasiRose

Thank you. This validates my concern. Now I need to find out The Who and hows of starting a class action lawsuit.

BasiRose profile image
BasiRose

It's not easy pursuing a class action suit but worth a try. Also the silicone oil that gets into the eye can also cause pressure in the eye to elevate. But in some it is asymptomatic. Bottomline is that special care needs to be paid attention to in the handling and storage of the syringes and vials so that no oil is transferred into the vitreous. Long story short, I endured 23 injections over an 18 month period and it turns out, I don't have that condition!! I wish I could honestly sue the doctors for the trauma I went through. But the answer I got was, they aired on the side of caution! 23 injections that did nothing so that they could continue to air on the side of caution?! Thankfully one doctor said, I don't think you have CNV but another condition that no treatment is required just observation!! They are retinal specialists! Doesn't make sense!

Anyway, good luck in your pursuit.

enopmar profile image
enopmar

Some people seem to be talking about the large bubbles that go away, or the persistent discs from silicon on the bottle.

I have a large floater that looks like I'm looking thru a sheet of pond scum. It's finally started to move out of the way but I am thinking of having it lasered.

stocknbnd profile image
stocknbnd

I have floaters which the doctor says will be permanent. Her name is Dr Brenda Myers-Powell and her business is Retina Specialists Northwest. She stated that she has had this problem off and on since 2010 and will do nothing to remedy the problem. She and her technicians have told me that the floaters are a result of excessive silicone on the needle. She said that she uses avastin because she cannot afford the approved medication. I am upset!

No2020 profile image
No2020 in reply to stocknbnd

I see that your clinic is in Kent WA.

Similar in name to the one I go to in Portland,OR. ( Retina Northwest)

I am on Medicare. After the incident with the permanent floater, I was switched to Lucentis. It comes in pre filled syringes. No problems with floaters, so far. ( since Feb. 2017)

I think it is indefensible for clinics to keep using the Avastin when they know about the problem with silicone oil. It is all about the bottom line.

I am still working on tracing the cause of my floater ... FDA tells me they don’t supervise compounding labs, I need to contact my state pharmacy Board.

This seems ludicrous, as I found copies of this lab online, showing that they failed several inspections the last 2 years, and received 2 warning letters. I am now contacting the FDA once more, with a link to that site. Maybe it is in the wording: RC labs is in Ohio and listed as a ‘Resourcing facility. ‘

Next contact: our State Agency.

I am not giving up. This is a very serious thing that shouldn’t have happened. Somebody needs to be held accountable.

It will affect my quality of life the remainder of my ‘golden years’

I will keep you posted

63Gainscott profile image
63Gainscott in reply to No2020

My husband has had 21 Avastin injections over 5 years. He has 1 large and several small silicon floaters in his "good" eye. His doctor told him what they are and related that it was a result of packaging issues at a lab and they were permanent, untreatable. Last week he received an unsolicited email from a law firm asking him to sign up for a class action lawsuit about this & he gave them basic contact info. They called and asked only a couple of questions and excluded him from participating as "he didn't have an infection, and he hadn't had surgery to remove them." What. He's now trying to obtain a callback from any of the legal firms he's called.

It is maddening and frightening.

stocknbnd profile image
stocknbnd

I have floaters which the doctor says will be permanent. Her name is Dr Brenda Myers-Powell and her business is Retina Specialists Northwest. She stated that she has had this problem off and on since 2010 and will do nothing to remedy the problem. She and her technicians have told me that the floaters are a result of excessive silicone on the needle. She said that she uses avastin because she cannot afford the approved medication. I am upset!

Macsoccer422 profile image
Macsoccer422

Did anyone’s floaters ever settle in the bottom of the eye?

No2020 profile image
No2020 in reply to Macsoccer422

Yes, they are usually after the injections and pretty much stay out of my field of vision. The large permanent one moves all over. When I am in motion, it is too. Bending over, rough spots in the road, laying down: all make it change position too. Still no final word on who, why, how, what. But getting closer!

Macsoccer422 profile image
Macsoccer422 in reply to No2020

Nice I am glad they are improving. I am only 26 and had a random idiopathic bleed in my eye a year ago and have to get 6-7 injections and I am on my 5th. The last injection a few days ago was the only one I have ever seen floaters with I was worried and wondering why that injection and not the others.

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