A number of retinal diseases are currently treated by injection of a drug into the vitreous gel in the middle of the eye. Most commonly, this approach is used to treat “wet” age-related macular degeneration and swelling of the retina (macular oedema) due to diabetes damage and blocked blood vessels.
The eye department carries out several thousand of these injections each year. This booklet will give you some more information so that you know what to expect before, during and after your injection treatment.
How to find us
The Macular Treatment Centre is currently located in the Eye Clinic on W Ward at Seacroft Hospital. The address for the hospital is York Road, Leeds, LS14 6UH.
The Eye Clinic is at the back of the hospital as you enter from York Road. You can get to the eye clinic either through the Main Entrance, following the signs along the corridor, or the back of the clinic where there is a drop-off zone (see the map on page 12).
- Arriving by bus
West Yorkshire Metro provides the following bus services to Seacroft Hospital: 56, 64, 64A, 166, 402, 405, 770, 840, 843, 845.
For more bus timetable information, please telephone: 0113 245 7676. - Arriving by car
Parking for patients and visitors is available in the main car park located by the entrance to the hospital. Disabled and additional parking is also available at the back of the hospital serving the RMU, Renal and Prosthetics, Orthotics and Wheelchairs Departments. Payment for parking is by pay and display.
Although most of the injections are given in the Macular Treatment Centre at Seacroft Hospital, there are additional injection clinics in the main eye clinic in Gledhow Wing at St James’s University Hospital and in the out-patient department Wharfedale Hospital, Otley. Please check your appointment letter carefully for the correct location.
Please see the maps on pages 13 and 14 for directions if you need to attend these locations.
Your clinic visit
Each visit to the eye clinic for an injection will comprise several different steps. Although, every effort will be made to complete the assessment and the injection as quickly as possible, you should allow two hours for your clinic visit.
Please register at the eye clinic reception when you arrive. You will then be directed to a nurse to check your vision. Drops may be used to enlarge your pupils so that the back of the eye can be examined. The drops often make your vision blurred and your eyes can be more sensitive to bright light for a few hours. You might want to bring some dark glasses for the journey home.
After your vision has been checked, a photographer will take a scan and/or photograph of the back of your eyes. A doctor or another trained specialist practitioner may then examine your eyes. The results of the vision test, eye scans, photographs and any examinations will be used to plan your treatment. Before an injection is given, you will be asked to confirm your identity and the eye that is being treated. Anaesthetic and antiseptic drops will be put into the eye to help make the injection as painless and safe as possible. A spring device is used to help keep the eye open and the injection itself is given through the white of the eye (sclera) into the vitreous gel.
You may feel some discomfort or mild pain but this does not usually last long. You are normally ready to go home a few minutes after the injection has been given.
Follow-up
Most of the drugs need to be given regularly in order to be most effective. This might be as often as every month or as little as once a year or more. Your doctor or trained specialist should be able to tell you all of your treatment options.
The most commonly used drugs are given as an initial course of three or four injections at monthly intervals, followed either by treatment every two months or as often as is necessary.
With regular treatment, the majority of patients can expect to keep fairly stable vision. Some may also experience an improvement in their vision. The amount of improvement often depends on the condition that is being treated and the level of vision at the start of treatment.
If there has been a poor response to treatment or the sight continues to deteriorate despite treatment, your doctor or trained specialist may decide that further treatment is not appropriate.
Are there any side-effects?
Injections into the eye are usually very safe but there are possible side-effects with any treatment.
Common side-effects include discomfort or mild pain during and after the injection, a gritty feeling as if there is something in the eye and blurred vision. These usually settle within a day or two.
Other common side-effects include bubbles of air in the eye, floaters and bruising of the white of the eye.
Rare but more serious side-effects include:
- An infection inside the eye (endophthalmitis)
- Increased pressure in the eye
- Bleeding inside the eye
- Detached retina
- Cataract
- Inflammation inside the eye
- A rip or tear of the pigmented layer inside the eye.
Certain drugs are best avoided in women who may become pregnant or who are breast feeding. If you do become pregnant whilst undergoing intra-vitreal injections please inform your doctor immediately.
With some drugs, there may also be a small, increased risk of heart attack or stroke, although many doctors dispute this. However, please inform your clinic doctor or specialist, if you have suffered from one of these in the recent past.
What to do if there is a problem?
After an injection, it is very common to have some discomfort and blurring of vision for the rest of the day. These problems usually get better by the following morning and rarely last for more than 48 hours.
If you notice increasing pain or a significant worsening of your eyesight, it is important that you get your eyes examined quickly. These are worrying symptoms and may indicate an infection within the eye. With timely treatment most infections have a good outcome. The treatment usually consists of an injection of antibiotics. Time is of vital importance. Please contact the clinic team as outlined below:
Eye Clinic Emergency Service in Gledhow Wing at St. James’s Hospital
- Opening hours: Monday – Friday,
8.30 am to 5.00 pm
Telephone: 0113 206 4566
At other times, please go to the Main A&E department at St. James’s Hospital.
Other Help
- Low Vision Aid clinics are provided within both Seacroft and St. James’s Hospitals. If you are finding reading or other activities difficult, please ask your doctor or specialist about these clinics. Magnifiers will often help and these can be loaned to you
- The Eye Clinic Liaison Officers can often provide practical advice, discuss sight impairment certification and arrange for a rehabilitation officer to visit you at home and offer further help. Telephone: 0113 206 4923 or 0113 288 5750
- The Macular Society provides information about common macular diseases, support and practical advice for those with visual impairment. Telephone: 0300 3030 111 or go to www.macularsociety.org
Changing your appointment:
If you cannot make an appointment or need to change your appointment please call us on one of the following telephone numbers:
- The administration team at Seacroft clinic: 0113 206 6044 or 0113 206 3119
- • Patient Advocacy and Liaison Service (PALS): 0113 206 7168 or 0113 206 6261
