Diabetes can affect your eyes and vision in a few ways. Two of these conditions — diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema (DME) — may be treated with eye injections. These are sometimes called diabetic retinopathy injections.

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If your doctor recommends eye injections, you may be confused or worried. If this treatment is right for you, it’s important to learn about the injections and procedure to help you feel confident in your decision.

1. Two Eye Conditions Related to Diabetes Can Be Treated With Injections

Diabetic retinopathy develops when blood glucose (sugar) levels are high for a long time. The extra sugar can make it more difficult for blood to flow through the tiny vessels in your body. These may become blocked and then leak when blood builds up. In response, your body may make new blood vessels, which don’t work as well.

When this process happens in the light-sensitive part at the back of your eye, called the retina, it’s called diabetic retinopathy. This condition can cause diabetic macular edema — swelling in a particular part of your retina, the macula.

You may experience different symptoms based on which part of the retina swells. The macula swells when fluid leaks out of blood vessels and builds up there. This condition can’t be reversed but can be treated.

Both diabetic retinopathy and DME may be treated with eye injections. Many people on DiabetesTeam have discussed these injections, sharing comments such as these:

• “I have had two injections in my left eye — one more to go. Then the doctor will examine my eyes and decide if I need more treatment. I believe it is for diabetic retinopathy.”
• “I had eye injections for DME, and I’m still recovering.”
  

  “I have had two injections in my left eye — one more to go. Then the doctor will examine my eyes and decide if I need more treatment.”
  — A DiabetesTeam member

2. Two Main Types of Eye Injections Treat Diabetic Macular Edema

Your doctor may prescribe one of two types of eye injections, as well as several other treatments.

The first is anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) medications. When your body tries to grow more blood vessels, it produces extra VEGF. If you can limit that amount, your body may not develop the problems that can come from trying to grow extra vessels. Anti-VEGF drugs block this protein.

Recently, doctors started using new types of anti-VEGF treatments that last longer and may work even better for some people. Some of these newer medicines target more than one cause of eye damage, and some are given through tiny implants that slowly release the medicine over several months.

Your doctor may also choose to inject steroids in your eyes. These medications can help reduce swelling caused by inflammation. They may be useful if the blood vessels in your eyes seem to be under control but you’re still experiencing symptoms.

3. You May Experience Side Effects From Eye Injections

Most of the time, you shouldn’t have to worry about major complications. Your eyes may feel irritated, particularly in the hours directly after the injections. Occasionally, you may see a spot of blood on your eyeball at the injection site. These effects usually aren’t a problem and should go away within a week.

Contact your doctor right away if you get a lot of floaters in your vision, have more trouble seeing than usual, experience significant pain or discomfort in your eye, or become sensitive to light. These can be signs of complications that need to be addressed quickly.

In the long term, steroid injections in your eye may lead to glaucoma or cataracts. If you receive these injections, make sure you get regular eye exams to monitor your eyes.

What Are the Side Effects of a Shot in the Eye?

As mentioned above, most people notice just mild irritation, redness, or a small spot of blood where the shot went in, which goes away within a week. Rarely, you could get an infection or have more pain, so call your doctor if your eye feels worse or your vision changes.

4. Your Doctor May Numb Your Eyes

Be prepared for your doctor to numb your eyeball before the injection. This helps ensure that you don’t experience pain during the procedure, but it might come as a surprise.

Numbing can take several forms. The method depends on your doctor’s preference, the location of your injection, and the type of injection. Your doctor may use eye drops or a gel, or they may numb the eye with a smaller injection.

5. Treatment May Stabilize or Even Improve Your Vision

Your doctor should tell you what to expect from your eye injections. In general, your vision should stop getting worse, and it may even get better.

Anti-VEGF treatments, in particular, can improve vision, and the benefits may last at least two years. However, not many studies have looked at the treatments’ effectiveness over time, so your doctor may not be able to tell you exactly what to expect. Also, everyone responds to treatment differently. You may not know what effect anti-VEGF injections will have until you try them.

Steroid injections may also stabilize or improve your vision. Some steroids seem to be more effective than others, but more research is needed to confirm this and to show which are most effective.

6. You Should Be Able To Return to Your Routine Soon After Eye Injections

Most of the time, you can return to your usual routine whenever you feel comfortable doing so. Your doctor may caution you against certain activities in the day or days right after the injection. This warning is to protect the eye from contamination so you don’t get an infection.

If you feel like something is in your eye, use artificial tears or eye drops from your doctor. The irritation shouldn’t be severe enough to prevent you from participating in daily activities. If it is, contact your doctor right away.

7. You’ll Have To Follow Up With Your Doctor

Your doctor will want to see you again after your eye injections. This is to check your eyes, talk about the results, and see how your eyes responded. The timing can vary between doctors, but this appointment typically takes place four to six weeks after the injection.

It’s important to attend these follow-up eye exams, even if your eye health seems good. Your doctor needs to document how the injections worked for you. They’ll also use special equipment to examine your eyes and make sure there are no issues that might not be noticeable or cause side effects.

8. You May Need Multiple Rounds of Injections

Diabetes can continue to affect your eyes even after an injection, so you may need to get eye injections again. Most people find that their body does well with these.

Your ophthalmologist will monitor your eyes using a variety of tests. You should also keep track of how well you’re seeing. If you begin to experience vision problems a few months or years after your injections, make an appointment to see your doctor right away. This will allow you to get the testing you need and work with your doctor to find the treatments that are right for you.

Some people have eye injections regularly. “I get eye injections every four to six weeks to prevent blindness,” one DiabetesTeam member said. “I have been getting injections for seven years now. I do believe that it has saved my vision.”

“I have been getting injections for seven years now. I do believe that it has saved my vision.”
— A DiabetesTeam member

Join the Conversation

On DiabetesTeam, people share their experiences with type 2 diabetes, get advice, and find support from others who understand.

Are you considering eye injections for diabetes eye problems? Let others know in the comments below.