Eye Injections Explained: Safe, Effective Treatment for Retinal Disease

Your retinas, the thin layer of tissue in the back of your eyes, play a crucial role in clear, focused vision. Once light enters them, it’s converted into signals, sent to your brain via your optic nerves, and interpreted as the images we see. The photoreceptor cells (rods and cones) in your retina control color vision, visual acuity, low-light, and peripheral vision.

Retinal diseases compromise your eye's ability to process clear images, and some conditions can become severe enough to lead to reduced vision or blindness. To minimize the effects of these illnesses, eye injections are a go-to treatment for keeping your eyes functioning well.

Eye injections may sound frightening, but the process is safe and effective and can keep your eyes working. For people struggling with retinal problems in the Muncie, Indiana, area, Dr. Jeffrey Rapkin and his dedicated staff at Retina Consultants of Muncie are here to help.

Types of retinal diseases

Here are just some of the diseases your retinas can deal with:

• Diabetic retinopathy: diabetes can create abnormal blood vessels that damage your retinas

• Retinal vein occlusion: a blood vessel blockage that carries blood away from your retinas

• Retinal tears: small breaks in retinal tissue that can lead to detachment

• Retinal detachment: partial or complete pulling away of your retinas from the supporting tissue

• Infectious retinitis: an infection causing inflammation in your retinas

• Macular pucker: scar tissue on your retinas

• Macular hole: a hole or defect in the central part of the retina

• Macular degeneration: a disease causing the gradual reduction of central vision

• Macular edema: fluid buildup that causes macular swelling

How do eye injections treat retinal diseases?

Also known as intravitreal injections, eye injections deliver medications directly into your eyes to manage various conditions. Diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema, macular degeneration, and retinal vascular occlusions all benefit from this method, effectively preserving vision. It also treats a complication of nearsightedness called myopic choroidal neovascularization. 

Frequently, anti–vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) drugs are used in these injections to manage these problems by preventing the growth of abnormal blood vessels in your retina. 

What to expect from the procedure

Needles are scary enough for many when injecting into your arms, but the thought of eye injections can be concerning, to say the least. While it may be an odd process if you’ve never had it done before, it’s a lot less eventful than you think. 

Let’s go over the basic steps:

• Dr. Rapkin numbs your eye and places a device on it to keep it open during the injection
• Once numbed, he determines where the shot needs to be placed by having you look up, down, or to the side
• As the needle enters, you may see both medication and fluid in your eye as a web of lines
• Dr. Rapkin examines and cleans your eyes

Soreness and cloudy vision are likely to persist for the next few days. Over-the-counter pain relievers, antibiotic drops, and a cool cloth can help keep you comfortable while your eyes heal and your vision is restored.

No one likes the idea of a needle in their eye; our instinct is to prevent anything from getting in them. But eye injections help keep your eyes working for much longer if you have retinal diseases, and we can give them to you safely and comfortably. 

Make an appointment with Dr. Rakpin and Retina Consultants of Muncie today to manage your retinal disease issues.