Waiting to START EYLEA

[guitarmaker]

I had a retinal vein occlusion last week and am starting EYLEA injections on Monday. Bit nervous about eye injections!

[rosyG]

i was terrified the night before my first Eyelea injection. I wish I'd known what it would be like. Sometimes you just feel a little pressure, sometimes it can hurt just a little. Main thing is your eye will be a bit sore from the iodine used to prevent infection but if they rinse it afterwards that's not too bad.

You have to keep it very clean and dry for a few days afterwards Don't worry- and it works well too. Let us know how you get on

[2468G]

Hi guitarmaker.

My experiences having injections have varied. I have had 3 that were uncomfortable and 3 that were fine. Either way the actual injection is over very quickly so remind yourself of that whilst you are waiting if you are feeling nervous.

More than likely it will help your condition so well worth having done.

Good luck.

[Bazza1234]

I have now had 5 injections - for somebody who has NEVER been able to tolerate even the thought of getting eyedrops put into my eyes, I understand where you are coming from. However It hasn't been as bad as I had imagined. My RS always asks me something along the lines of "how was your experience" ( after the event) - I always answer him with " I've had better!!!!" I think he is VERY experienced though and has got it all down to a fine art.

[smiler6044]

Hello, Mr Smiler has BRVO so the same as you. Very worried when it happened, pretty terrified at first injection and always anxious at each appointment. He is 2+ years on, 9 Eylea injections later, with 6 injections ok and 3 not good. Mr S says for him the thought is worse than the deed and we go early morning to clinic and so we are soon away. His vision in the affected eye went from no vision at the bleed, to the dizzy height of 95% after the first injection and is now around 75% with injections. Good luck on your journey and let us know how you get on.

Best wishes from The Smilers

[Melene]

Hello guitarmaker

During one routine eye check up my Dr announced that my macular degeneration had gone from dry to wet and I would be getting an eye injection. No time to dwell on it! That was two years ago and I have received a shot once a month since.

My Dr is generous with the novocaine drops, and a preliminary numbing injection safequards me from feeling any pain. Tylenol comes in handy if there is discomfort afterwards.

From my experience, I would advise resting your eyes after shot. Just using your good eye puts a strain on the injected eye and for me can cause greater discomfort.

Use disinfectant drops Dr prescribes for a few days to protect your eye from infection. And use "natural tears" to soothe the eye, it really helps.

I would rather not have to go through this on a monthly basis but the alternative is to loose sight in my right eye. So, I think of the injection as being proactive in saving my eye sight.

Finding an excellent Dr also makes all the difference.

Reply

[Hidden]

Hi guitarmaker,

To add to everyone else's great replies I'd say take two paracetamol about an hour beforehand and regularly afterwards.

Hold the nurse's hand, it makes a huge difference.

Make sure they know it's your first and ask for a good washout after.

Use sterile soothing drops ( hylotear are good ) before and after too up to 4x a day, you can use them other days too ( counterintuitive but if eye tears up its dry and needs lubrication).

Keep eye free of dust - get yourself some sunglasses with side pieces for getting home and few days after.

If you can watch u tube video of inj. I did, saw the woman never flinched, it helped to see that. But be prepared that you may feel a scratch or bit of pressure - relax face as much as you can ( I count or recite lyrics in my head) it will be over in seconds.

Hopefully they've given you an amsler grid ( print one off net if not) to check vision - sight is usually a bit blurry day of inj but the wavy grid lines should improve over time. You can also check looking at door frames etc. The inj have every chance of working for you so focus on the big gain for little pain.

Finally, be kind to yourself . Diagnosis is always a shock and sight problems are known to be akin emotionally to bereavement. The macular society give great support, check out their website.

This is a great forum and you are not alone - we all ' get it'. Wishing you all the best going forward.

[guitarmaker in reply to Hidden]

Not sure if everyone will see this reply but I am very grateful to all of you for the assurances. I had a month in hospital two years ago after an emergency laparotomy and the one thing I learned was that anticipation is always much worse than the treatment. I love the NHS!

[AMD6yr]

Hello! I have been taking the eye shots for 6 years, and really believe visits to my dentist are more painful than the shots! (My dentist was a little hurt by my remark!) I have already posted my current situation, but want to say to you -- take the shots, just be sure you have a thorough rinse afterward. That's critical, though now I am thinking maybe it wasn't just a poor rinse that caused the infection - may have something to do with how to doc administered the shot. Have been told it's extremely rare, but can't get any further data - what's "rare"? Do you regain your sight? Just be informed, and you'll be fine. Gotta trust your doctor.

[guitarmaker in reply to AMD6yr]

Many thanks; I had my first injection on Monday and it went well except I moved my eye at the wrong time and got a small bleed. No real change in my vision as yet.

[arwmd in reply to guitarmaker]

Great! it is important to stay positive, to learn as much as you can about your eye disease, and do everything you can to make you life as easy as possible by finding low vision aids, and people who have similar conditions that are coping with it too. Best wishes to you............

[AMD6yr]

Don't expect much change; the shots CAN slow or halt the progression of AMD but not improve it. Some folks can go 6 or 8 weeks between shots; I WAS told originally that some people even get to STOP the shots, as it halts the CHANGES. I wasn't one of those lucky ones! Your doc will keep track and experiment with what works best for you. The first time I had a shot, I began MOVING my arms and legs all over - not shaking, just moving! Doc finally said, "you'll have to sit still...." and I did and never had that happen again. Weird!