Blue drape

[JJnan]

Hi all, I haven't posted for a while, after a nightmare few months where I had inj an infected eye ....don't know if it was caused through blue drape (which took eyelashes out).....since then I've been allowed to go without drape....out of the blue the consultant (who pretended he didn't know about the disaster) said I had to use drape ...I gave in in case he wouldn't do inj....but within minutes of leaving clinic my eye was so painful burning red ....I now believe I'm allergic to blue drape...lasted 3 days, just sitting with eye closed and painkillers......I have inj every 8 weeks with another Doc for 12 mths who is brilliant, no drape, no probs, but he was on hol so had other consultant..(very overpowering) ...at next inj I will refuse drape and hopefully will have inj....this clinic has also stopped giving out antibiotic drops to be taken 3 days after...because of cost (according to nurse)...has other clinics found this ?....I have cataract in both eyes and been told if fluid doesn't reduce I can't have cataracts removed which is very worrying ...the other thing is every 8 weeks I have to ring and beg for appointment...I can't afford to wait weeks/mths...as I explained about fluid....I've been attending for 5 yrs and never had a break from inj......sorry for long post xx

[kevinaki]

"but WITHIN MINUTES of leaving clinic my eye was so painful burning red"

A painful bloodshot eye is caused by an injection not by a drape.

I think that your intense suffering was caused by a bad injection from a "pretended" and "overpowering" substitute consultant.

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[Hidden]

Sorry to hear this. For lucentis eyelea etc inj my clinic don't use a drape ( only for steroid implants). I've never been given antibacterial drops to take home, they put some in at end of procedure in clinic.

It might be the stickiness of the drape you're sensitive to - I know when I've had drape for implant they use it to catch eyelashes up out of the way before inserting the clamp, always seemed a bit blue peterish way of doing things!

Check out what the Royal College of Opthamologists guidelines say - you can google them, then you can quote to doc if necessary. Either way they can't make you have the drape but you may need to confirm you accept any further infection risk if the RCOO guide says to use drape.

Otherwise it could be sensitivity to the iodine not washed out well plus a heavy handed doc!

[Ayralin]

Hello,

I'm in Minnesota, USA. In the past year that I've received injections, I have never has a "drape" used. We are also not given antibiotic drops to take home and use later.

DRAPES: A 2014 Study here in the USA states:

"There is no evidence to support the routine use of a sterile drape. The panel identified no evidence to support routine use of sterile drapes for the injection. In fact, studies not requiring a drape during injection have not reported increased rates of endophthlamitis."

Same 2014 study & recommendations:

ANTIBIOTICS:

"Peri-injection antibiotics are not necessary. In 2004, no clear consensus regarding the use of peri-injection antibiotics could be achieved. Since then, a growing body of evidence has emerged that strongly suggests peri-injection antibiotics do not meaningfully lower the risk of post-injection endophthalmitis.5-9 In addition, there is strong evidence that periodic multi-day administration of topical ophthalmic antibiotics results in the development of, and colonization with, drug-resistant bacteria. Facilitating the colonization of patients with drug-resistant bacteria is generally undesirable, especially since such organisms tend to show increased virulence.10,11 Thus, the panel did not recommend routine use of pre-, peri- or postinjection antibiotics.

"

I'm a Registered Nurse - many people are allergic to the ADHESIVES on various products. If your drape is adhesive [meaning it has a sticky surface that they stick to your skin], it could be that you are allergic to the adhesive.

Since studies show a drape is not necessary, you are surely within your rights to insist it not be used. Here is one website with the study:

reviewofophthalmology.com/a...

Best Wishes for better experiences in the future,

Linda