A few queries. Is needle size important? Injection in same spot. Diet and supplements.

[Catseyes235]

When I had my first Eylea injection someone said to the nurse administering the injection would the needle she was using be okay? The implication was that it was slightly smaller and the nurse said it should be fine. As it was I felt nothing - she was very quick and efficient and had given 'hundreds of injections.

With subsequent injections I have actually felt pressure or very slight pain so am wondering if there is a standard needle size? Could one ask for a smaller size?

No one seems to have mentioned this but apologies if it has. been discussed before. I also wonder about the giving of injections in the same place on the eye. Will this produce any thickening of the tissue ?

A third point is advice on diet as I seem to have been the only person advised to take MacuShield Gold. It's very expensive but I take 2 instead of 3 tablets a day and eat a healthy veg filled diet otherwise.

Looking forward to your responses!

[Hidden]

I am fortunate in not having pain with the injections but I do feel pressure on some occasions. I think technique has a little to do with whether or not the injection is felt but it is mostly an individual to the patient thing. The “target” area is a 4mm band, the Pars Plana. It appears that for some there are more and less painful quadrants. I know of a patient who has had many shots and experiences a great deal of pain, her retinologist has mapped out these areas and injects in the least uncomfortable ones. I never used to experience any sensation at all but as the number of shots increased I began to feel pressure but it is not at all painful. Normally, the same retinologist does the injection and as he always injects in the same spot(77 times to date) I have developed scar tissue but if one of the nurses injects they choose a different spot and I feel nothing.

Some hospitals, I am not sure if this applies to the NHS, use syringes intended for diabetics which are coated in silicon, whilst this makes for a more comfortable injection there is the danger of minute globules of silicon detaching and causing immoveable floaters.

[Ayayay80 in reply to Hidden]

Your last point in particular is rather interesting.

[tallyho in reply to Hidden]

Syringes used for diabetics! ???

[Hidden]

I am sure that a particular design of syringe will be suitable for more than one injectable. It seems that in a bid to make the procedure more comfortable for the patient some clinics, certainly in America, had been using ones with a silicone coating but fragments of the lubricant had been detaching and causing permanent floaters.

Most anti-VEGF doses come as a single shot direct from the manufacturer but it is possible to obtain bulk packs to reduce cost and for the clinic to split the packs to suit their needs and fill their own syringes.

[rosyG in reply to Hidden]

not so good from the infection control aspect of things?

[Hidden in reply to rosyG]

There must be some risk each time the drug is handled but so much depends how it is stored.

The clinic I visit administers in excess of 100 shots per session. The bulk packs don’t last long enough to be stored!

[Macular_1]

Hello Catseyes,

Sorry to learn about your wet macular degeneration.

I believe that the syringes for anti-VEGF injections are all pre-packed by the drugs manufacturers and are of similar size.

The injections will not necessarily be administered in exactly the same place, but in the white of the eye in the corner. Pain and side effects are fortunately rare.

Please see the following link about pain after injections;

macularsociety.org/sites/de...

Macushield Gold is an 'AREDS2' supplements (see booklet at the link below) and is really for people with dry AMD. Do you have dry AMD in your other eye?

Please see our booklet 'nutrition and eye health' at the following link;

macularsociety.org/sites/de...

Best wishes

Macular Society

[Catseyes235 in reply to Macular_1]

Hello I do have a little dry MD in the other eye but the opthalmologist didn't specify which MD the MacuShield Gold was for.

Although I haven't watched it sound as though the person administering the injection last two times is drawing them off into a syringe. She spends ages flicking at it like getting rid of air bubbles yet both times I have felt pressure and slight pain with swirling air bubbles. Quite blood shot at site for 4 days first time but bit better 2nd time. Just a shame when first one was done so well and quickly I didn't even know it had been done!

Will check out links thanks!