I have had normal saline to wash eyes after injection and one nurse does it before adding tear drops and one adds tear drops first. When tear drops are done first I find I have very sore eyes for a couple of days,
I can ask for saline first but wonder if it's safer to keep iodine there for a it to reduce infection risk Ive tried to look this up but nothing in the literature so thought I would ask you all!!
As I'm having injections in both eyes now, I want to minimise the chance of infection.
Hi RosyG, I think you have brought up a good question, it seems that different clinics have their own ideas on whether to wash out Iain, mine doesn’t o this and I have requested it, they of course don’t give explanation.After contracting Endophthalmitis In 2019 Following this was told that Iodine was the best protection during the procedure so I suppose there is a train of thought not to washout to reduce the effects, like you I have severe burning in the ryes after iodine and the drops use for dilation . I now ask for minimum drops during and keep a new bottle of preservative free eye drops to use straight after each part of the procedure.
The infection in 2019 was horrific and thought I ha lost in my sight with months of pain and treatment, in view of this I accept the use of Iodine and the days of discomfort that follows.
I hope you are keeping well during this time and receiving the treatment ok.
Best regards
Ann
Thank you and I’m sorry you did get endphthalmitis Do you use drops straight away as wonder if I should ask them just to leave iodine in and use drops later ( we are given drops). How is your sight now? . I want to reduce the risk now having both eyes done frequently
Hi Annsandra, I hope you are well. I was told by my injector about eighteen months ago not to use eye drops on the day of injection (unless absolutely necessary) but to wait until the following day. It's strange how different areas and clinics give different advice, you'd think it would be the same protocol within the NHS and private sector wouldn't you!
Do they wash the iodine out soringcross or just leave the eye for that day? I might go for that but do get pain if no wash out
Hi rosyG. When it started for me it was flushed out after the first injection but not after that. I used to get terrible trouble with it and sometimes it would go on for two or three days with a burning streaming eye and runny nostril. I had a word with the ophthalmologist and was told that it should be done as it was on my notes to do so, but he entered it as a specific. It was OK for a couple of injections but then he starting ignoring it again and I had more words with the ophthalmologist. I had taken photographs of my eye one time and I asked the injector if he would like to see the photos of the state of my eye - he declined to see them but started flushing it out really well after that. Now there is a new nurse on certain days and she said she has a garden hose to flush out the eyes afterwards and so I was quite surprised to find out that the garden hose was a rather small vial of solution! It seems that they do what they want to do and not what they are told to do, it really is frustrating.
Hi Springcross, I hope you are keeping well, yes I agree there. Doesn’t seem to be a consistent protocol across the eye clinics, my clinic do not offer washouts, in fact the injector chair is raised the Instant the injections are over and the door opened to get out! However disorientated I am. I must agree with earlier posts it is a bit like being on a conveyor belt with little empathy.But as we all know the injections will save our sight! So we don’t complain.
Stay positive and keep safe all
Love and best wishes
Ann
Hi rosyG. Iodine is apparently the best, and my ophthalmologist won't use anything else. However it often causes extreme burning, as you experience. My eye clinic compromised by using 1/2 strength iodine, AND washing out extremely well, which minimised the burning. I hope this helps xx
I found this report from 2003 which looked at applying it post op and says it performed better than antibiotics so I guess in theory the longer you can bear to leave before washing it out the better BUT it's an old report, I don't know how significant the slight difference in effectiveness is, what %strength comparison of povidoneiodine, nor if todays antibiotics used are better.There seems to be no doubt iodine is best preop.
As ever, it's a trade off, effectiveness v pain v risk - personally, I feel clinics wouldn't give us wash out if there was evidence from the Royal College that it was a bad thing, they'd make us sign a disclaimer !
Keeping to a good post op regime for at least 5 days is key I think to lowering post op infection risk.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
Thank you eyesright. Very helpful
Yes I think we all now understand why they us the dreaded Iodine, i had 3 consultants getting me through the endophthalmitis, it took me months to regain the sight not as good as it was and the eye is very dry now, so with trips to the hospital everyday with 30 drops of all sorts of eye drops, the initial injections to put antibiotics into the eye were so painful as explained it had to be tolerated, this is why I have been told it is the safest way to make sure it protects from infection.
I use a new bottle of drops very soon after the injections, I have no make up near my eyes and don’t let tap water near my face for 5 days. Eyesright is spot on with her advice.
Hoping my friends on Macular are keeping ell and safe
Love Ann
Hi RosyG I no longer have iodine at all. Most doctors are fine with this but a couple of months ago I did have quite an argument which I won in the end. He didn’t wash out at all but the nurse put in loads of artificial tears. I have chlorhexitine and chloramphenicol. I am eexceptionally careful for 5 days following, no gardening, dusting, hair washing eye makeup etc, one injector just used 5% strength iodine at the injection site and a very thorough wash out and that was fine but no others seem willing to do it. I have injections every for weeks alternating between Avastin and Eyelea. Take care Em x
Thank you for that and I hope yours go well
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