5th eyelet injection

[norwh59]

On 3rd February I had my 5th eyelet injection all seemed ok but as the day went on the pain was really bad! That night I went to a&e I was given drops for the pain and antibiotic cream there was a scratch right across my eye caused by the needle I am due to have another injection in 8 weeks it has put me off having it should I refuse?

[Bunny1756]

Greetings, Norwh59,

As everyone here has told me, you must try to get that medication into you. The best advice I can give to you, is to locate the finest doctor/opthamologist you can find to care for you. For me, this is the factor that is most important and the most important thing I could do to help myself. I am not the “expert” here, having had my very first injection this past Wednesday; my first in the other eye is set for next Wednesday. No one on the planet was more frightened or worried about this than I. It took me six months to make the attempt, thanks to everyone here. What is “a&e”?

Bunny1756

[ISABELLA123 in reply to Bunny1756]

A and e is accident and emergency dept at a hospital x

[Bunny1756 in reply to ISABELLA123]

Isabella123,

Thank you. In the USA, it is usually just called the Emergency Room, or ER, abbreviated.

Bunny1756

[Hidden]

Norwh59, so sorry you had this happen. It shouldn't have and isn't usual. Ring your eye clinic and let them know, both for putting in your notes and flagging other patients potential suffering from same poor technique.

Was it a different injector to the other 4 OK ones? Ask not to have them again. I've done that and they were good ( had to have person when they were covering a slot but by then they'd had their technique reviewed and were much better!).

You need the inj. Yes its been horrible what's happened but still worth it to save your sight isn't it? You know it was specifically a scratch ( surprised done by needle rather than clamp which happened to me) so not a reaction to the normal procedure. Chances are won't happen again, or at least not every time.

Wishing you all the best going forwards.

[springcross]

Hi norwh59. Sorry to hear about your experience. I can understand your reluctance to have any more injections but I don't think you should refuse as it may mean a possible deterioration in your eyesight. I know it's easy to say but try to look at it as a one-off and I would definitely make a complaint to the opthalmologist next time. Good luck. x

[3furryfiends]

i had a similar experience on my 8th injection in november and spent 7 and a half hours in the emergency dept. i was told it was a scratch from the eye clamp/reaction to betadine.i made a formal complaint -using PALS-patient services. i don't know if anything came of the complaint but i have always been asked about my wishes and am i happy with the person carrying out the injection. Please tell the dept concerned

[rosyG]

don't be put off Take the notes from a and E- or ask your GP for a copy, or make a note of the date etc, and take it to your next injection and ask the nurse giving the injection to be particulalyr careful as this happened previously. I do this after having a corneal abrasion from injections last year- means they are very careful

[Jelbea]

Hi there, I have wet mac deg in both eyes and get injections every six weeks or so. Last year something similar happened to me. I was suffering a great deal of pain and clouding of vision after my injection and had to go to emergency eye clinic. The specialist there said my cornea had been scratched probably by the clamp. He said this can happen with poor technique and usually is a slight scratch. He said mine was a deep scratch right across the cornea. I was given antibiotic cream and it took two weeks before pain finally cleared away and the cloudiness in my vision also cleared. It was unpleasant especially since it should not have happened with a better operator. However, this did not deter me from continuing to get sight prolonging injections. I was just unlucky.

since then I have had no bad outcomes from the injections - as most people know some are painless afterwards and some are irritating and sometimes I get the large black blobs which take a day to clear. However, I think this is all worthwhile to preserve as much vision as possible.

Hope you are OK now and don’t stop getting your treatment.

[norwh59]

Thank you all for your support and advice I will be speaking to the clinic before my next injection

[Lizleiper]

I had the same experience ,twice in succession.,with the same injector and landed up in accident and emergency. No painkiller did anything to relieve the pain .At one point I thought I would have a heart attack ,the pain was so bad ! Eventually after 4 hours the doctor put anaesthetic drops into eye . Instant relief for a short time but pain returned . Returned to clinic in the morning and saw consultant who said my cornea had been damaged and proceeded to put a tight bandage over my eye ,which I had to keep covered for 48 hours ! The end result is I now have consultant to do my injections and have not had any problems since . I think I must have had about 30 injections altogether. In my case it is how the injector puts the clamp on my eye that causes the cornea to become damaged. Do not suffer in silence !

[Rosalyn-helpline Partner]

Dear norwh59,

It would be worth contacting your ophthalmologist via their secretary in advance of your next injection. I have copied a link to our information sheet on Pain after injections which could be used as a discussion point:

macularsociety.org/sites/de...

If they are able to identify the cause, then they can guard against it happening the next time.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to discuss this further. The Macular Society Advice and Information service is open 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday on 0300 3030 111.

Alternately, you can contact us via:

[e-mail]

Kind regards,

[princess1931]

Please don't refuse. You run the risk of losing your sight altogether. I have had th same prob lems and make sure I have plenty of eye gel and drops. I am told that I have dry eye and need to keep it lubricated. Yes the bruised feeling is ever present and I also have a haze over my visiion. I have never had that before and hope that it is just temporary.. I am not happy about nurses giving this injection as I feel the eye is so important it should be given by a specialist. It concerned me when you said your eyeball has been scratched by theneedle!!Hope things work out for you.

[Lizleiper in reply to princess1931]

See my entry above ....it was the same nurse who gave me injection and both times landed in hospital. Need to be taught how to put the clamp in an eye . When my consultant does it,it is completely different .