injections

[Donaldduck31]

getting my first injection at the lucentis clinic next week and also having a fundus fluorescein angiogram next week! Newly diagnosed! Any tips please?!

[Koalajane]

I have had both. The injections are not as bad as they seem. Before my first I watched people coming out of the treatment room and nobody looked upset. I always ask for plenty of anaesthetising drops and they oblige especially the nurses. The hardest part for me is lying still!

As for the angiogram it is nothing to worry about but you will go a bit yellow and your urine will be yellow for a while so do not worry.

I just think to myself that these procedures are worth it to maintain my sight.

Good luck with both

[Donaldduck31 in reply to Koalajane]

thank you so much for taking the time to reply . It’s very reassuring to hear such positive things. I think these things always sound worse than they actually are! Thank you 😊

[Koalajane in reply to Donaldduck31]

I find the injectors are usually very good, you are lying down and your eye is held open and don’t actually see them injecting as they are doing it behind you. I have never seen the needle but told it is a very fine one. I used to get a gritty eye after but use my eye drops for dry eyes( a new one) often. You will be asked to not swim or wash your hair for a few days which is to make sure you don’t get any infection in it. I am sure they will give you a leaflet telling you the phone number etc if you have any problems after. I sometimes get a floater after but these are always gone by the next day.

Your eyes will be blurry for about 4 hours after so my husband takes me and I ring him when I am finished. At my eye clinic we have the visual acuity test first, then they check for eye pressure, then drops for the OCT test. Then the OCT test and then a review with an opthamologist or optometrist, then injections. It can take just over an hour but the longest wait is for the review!

You will be fine

[Carol_MacularSociety Partner]

Dear Donaldduck31,

Please be reassured that the vast majority of patients describe the injection process as painless.

Please see some further information below on injections and fluorescein angiography

macularsociety.org/diagnosi...

macularsociety.org/about/me...

macularsociety.org/diagnosi...

The Macular Society Advice and Information Service is open 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday on 0300 3030 111. Alternatively, you can contact us via: [e-mail]

Kind regards,

Carol

Macular Society Advice and Information service

[Penelopeflower]

Hello, the first injection naturally makes you nervous, but they are really not as bad as your imagination may suggest, i have been having them for a few years now and you do get used to them, your eye will be well anaesthetised, and the thing to bear in mind is that they are preserving your sight, we are lucky that we have such wonderful medical advances available to us. Very best wishes.

[Cockerspadge]

Hi, I agree with what has been said. I’ve been having injections for a few years & I'm still apprehensive at each appointment but that’s probably normal. I’ve never had any pain, just discomfort afterwards. I’m not great with iodine so I ask for the pink stuff & they will do a washout afterwards if required. Friends who’ve never experienced the procedure really squirm when it is talked about because it’s a procedure that really does sound worse than it truly is. I’m sure you’ll be fine.

[tallyho]

it’s great your having an FA before your first injection they will check that you have no ischemia. It may not be with dye but as said things will be a bit yellow if you do. Lucentis is a good anti VEGF it’s been around for many years now. There are also others being licensed too and with biosimilars coming on board soonish there will be a lot more to choose from. Wish you all the best.

[Catseyes235]

it took me a year or so to stop worrying about injections even though the reality was actually fine as long as your eye is washed out well after.

Don’t be scared to say you hope you get lots of anaesthetic drops or ask any questions. My first injection (I thought of little else for weeks beforehand!) was so quick I didn’t realise I’d had it! For the first year or so I was also so wimpy that I asked to hold the nurses hand ...five years later I don’t and one of my eyes no longer needs treatment and the other every 10 weeks.

All my friends find the idea of an injection in your eye horrendous (sone don’t want me to even mention it! ) so it’s a very visceral response.

If you’ve ever had an injection at a dentists I’d say that is many, many times worse ..I hate them! They have longer needles and it lasts longer! An eye injection last less than a second I’d say. Good luck!

[Shimano]

wishing you all the best and hope it goes well. It is stressful. Try not to dwell on it beforehand. Easier said than done.good luck. Let us know how you get on.