Eyes won’t numb for Eyelea injections

[Soccer321]

I have been having Eyelea injections and have the usual after effects which are painful but I cope with. However, I have a very serious problem, doctors cannot numb my eyes. I‘Ve had drops, gel and numbing shots but to no avail. So, I’ve been getting the shots with no numbing at all and feel everything including the needle going in. It is so painful and I can’t find a doctor who will investigate why my eyes aren’t numbing. I am considering stopping knowing the alternative is blindness, but that’s how very bad this is, that I’m thinking of stopping. Has anyone experienced this or can anyone help? I cannot go on doing this. Thank you.

[Hidden]

I am so sorry for you. Maybe you could have the injection under general anaesthetic. It was offered to me .

[Soccer321 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you I would love to have general a aesthetic, it hasn’t been offered and I feel I’m regarded as a “nuisance” as it is. I think only if I could put the doctor up on the table and stick the needle in their eyes with no numbing would they then understand what I go through.

[Hidden in reply to Soccer321]

I agree. The total cost of the consultants working in my clinic is 1.5 million a year. You would think they would earn their money and drastically revise and improve eye injections.

[fed12]

Dear soccer321, I am so sorry you're having this terrible problem. I've never come across it before. I'm only answering because I see as yet there are no replies. Perhaps others are as mystified as I am. Have you contacted the Macular Society, as they have the answer to most things? Helpline 0300 3030 111? (wmacularsociety.org)

Please tell us how you get on. Sending you a hug xx

[Soccer321 in reply to fed12]

Thank you.

[SDR22]

Sadly I have no solution for your problem which must be agonising. Do the doctors underestimate the excruciating pain you must feel? I can’t begin to imagine it. Babyeyes was offered general anaesthetic so it obviously can be done - gird your loins and ask for it, you’re not being a nuisance and shouldn’t ever have to consider giving up the treatment.

Do let us know how you get on as I know we’ll all be rooting for you.

[Soccer321 in reply to SDR22]

Thanks for your message. I haven’t posted because nothing has changed. I even went to a new doctor because I had a consultation and this doctor told me he used the same medication to numb the eyes as is used for cataract surgery. Well, I’d had cataract surgery with no pain whatsoever so I thought I’d finally found the answer, that is until the day of the injections and there was no numbing in my eyes at all, terribly painful again and felt the full experience of the needle going in both eyes. As he finished he remarked “well, that’s as good as it gets”. So, he’s not using the same numbing medication as used for the cataract surgery and he lied to me! His whole waiting room setup was like a revolving circus with patients in/out, waiting, then in/out, next lot, in/out. I’m not going back. So now, I’m online trying to find a doctor who actually cares if his patient’s eyes don’t numb and would want to find out why they don’t and solve that problem which would surely solve the problem of feeling the needles going in. The very thought of having it done again fills me with dread, I honestly don’t think I can do it again without my eyes being numbed. Sorry, this is so long, but I very much appreciated every person who replied to my post and I did want to keep you posted. Thanks again.

[Rosalyn-helpline Partner]

Dear Soccer321,

Which country are you based in?

Do you also have dry eyes? If so, have you asked the ophthalmologist if this could also be a contributory factor?

The injections should not be described as painful during or after. This is an excerpt from our pain after injections factsheet:

"The effect of the local anaesthetic normally lasts for about half an hour. The injection should therefore be painless. There may be a bit of discomfort when the anaesthetic wears off, but this is usually mild or not noticed by most patients.

The eye can develop significant discomfort or severe pain about one hour or more after the injection. This may be due to one of a few possibilities, including a scratch on the cornea - the clear glassy part of the eye (called corneal abrasion) which may result in the skin in front of the cornea coming off due to the effect of the anaesthetic as well as dryness of the cornea. The injection can cause the eye to become very ‘dry’ with a lack of lubrication. This can result in the eyelid sticking to the epithelium layer and when you open your eyes it may cause the layer to be damaged. Dry eye gel can be used to prevent this from happening after future injections, but please check with your eye care professional before using any product. "

Please contact us direct if you would like us to send you the full factsheet.

The Macular Society Advice and Information Service can be contacted via:

[e-mail]

Kind regards,

[ironbrain]

I've felt the very acute, sharp pain of the needle on at least half the occasions I've had an Eyelea injection. At the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, they use proxymetacaine and "do not stock tetracaine". Tetracaine has a more profound effect:

patient.info/doctor/ocular-...

I think the problem is that there's a (slightly) higher chance of cornea damage with tetracaine. Something to do with protein binding possibly. But faced with going blind anyway ...

I wonder if they used tetracaine more, there might be less fear altogether about the procedure (and I might have had the courage to have got my left eye saved).

[RP1944]

Hi Soccer321. I feel for you as I have the same problem, I complained to my consultant who did the anesthetic drops herself at my last injection and it was still painful. I think some of us have a high tolerance to numbing drops therefore they don’t work properly. I have the same problem at the dentist. I can understand you wanting to give up on the injections as I have felt the same, it’s only because the alternative is losing my sight that I carry on. It would be wonderful if a general anesthetic was offered, I have never know it to be offered to anyone I know. I have a cataract which will have to be removed at some stage and I’m dreading it , knowing I will have problems with the anesthetic. Best wishes .

[ironbrain in reply to RP1944]

I remember asking if I would get a general anaesthetic for an eye injection when I was first diagnose with CNV (a few days short of 5 years ago). I got the polite medic/patient relationship reply equating very roughly to "no chance".

[Shimano]

Yes, yes, yes. Exact same experience. Horrendous. Last jag got numbing injection as well as drops. Never worked before but this time they waited 5 mins after numbing jag. Still hurt but nowhere as totally awful. Insist on 5 min wait. So understand why you dont want to go back. I posted a year ago asking macular soc. to do some research on failure of pain relief. I get lost in the strings on this site. Stoneage computing skills!!!

[Painting567]

I have exactly the same problem as you do ..... I have written previously on this site regarding the extremely painful eye injections I suffer!

I have now been having eye injections in both eyes for over six years.... each & every injection has been excruciatingly painful.... I have had more anaesthetic stronger anaesthetic a cotton wool tip soaked in anaesthetic..... Despite my Consultants efforts to find a way for me to have painless injections all & everything has failed

!! Plus now if I don’t have the injections every month... I revert back to having fluid behind the retina

I’m 85 years old & desperately need to find some way of having painless injections, as lm loosing the will to live !!

I was supposed to be having the new serum Can’t remember the name begins with a B ... & apparently less injections , however when I went for my monthly injections , I was informed the back of the retina was showing fluid , so the new serum was put on hold until my MD is more stable

The thing that annoys me more than every thing is ... when you research the treatment for MD ... it always says THE INJECTIONS ARE PAINLESS..... WELL I CAN ASSURE YOU FOR SOME Of US THEY ARE Not

[Shimano]

Hear, hear 321. My other eye has now gone wet. Like you am losing the Will to live. Bloody injections have taken over my life: living in dread of them, suffering them, or recuperating from them. Also had two cAteract ops which were not nearly as painful. Like you, am in my eighties but feel about eight when trying to face up to the necessity for injections. My mother went blind with MD so I try to feel lucky treatment is now available but it doesn’t help. MY INJECTIONS ARE EXCRUTIATING TOO? CAnt someone help us?