Eyeball injection redux

[Eddy Edson]

So about 2 years after a course of 6 Eylea injections resolved (for the time) my diabetic macular oedema, I was back in the chair getting another spike today.

Another old microaneurysm near the centre of my left retina had started leaking gunk, causing the swelling which is DME. Thickness back up to 380, from 290 a few months ago. The ophthalmologist advised me to have a shot & nip things in the bud, rather than waiting to see how it develops.

A bit depressing but apparently it's common to need this kind of intervention from time to time, once you're on the DME train. Even with all the risk factors (BG, BP, cholesterol) under excellent control, those legacy microaneurysms left over from the days of poor control are like unexploded bombs which can trigger pretty much at random.

Anyway, probably just a single shot, not another multi-injection course.

I guess the lesson is: avoid getting to the stage of moderate non-proliferative background retinopathy! The risk of DME goes up a lot once you move beyond "mild" NPBR.

Post in thread 'Eyeball injections. What a lark.'

Jan 22, 2023

So down to 302 microns two months after fifth shot versus 317 microns before, and versus 260 microns before the edema developed.

300 microns is roughly diagnostic for DME but the usual protocol would be just observation at my current levels, unless there were complicating factors like exudates close to fovea etc.

On the other hand, if you're already on a Eylea etc program, the usual protocol would be to keep going while improvements continue.

On the other other hand, with diminishing returns like I'm experiencing, it becomes a jugement/preference call, balancing modest improvement...

• Eddy Edson

• 

 

[Vonny]

Fingers crossed it's just a single shot Eddy, and hope you're feeling ok

 

[Eddy Edson]

Fingers crossed it's just a single shot Eddy, and hope you're feeling ok

Thanks! I'm fine - the injections are really nothing much, surprisingly.

 

[agentmole]

Three years ago I had 16 Eylea injections with no improvement, the consultant decided it wasn’t diabetes related and ceased the treatment, my left eye is compromised and my sight is poor, luckily the right is still good, Eddy is correct about the legacy problem but I wouldn’t say the injections are really nothing much!

 

[Eddy Edson]

Three years ago I had 16 Eylea injections with no improvement, the consultant decided it wasn’t diabetes related and ceased the treatment, my left eye is compromised and my sight is poor, luckily the right is still good, Eddy is correct about the legacy problem but I wouldn’t say the injections are really nothing much!

I'd probably also be less inclined to say "nothing much" if I'd had 16 shots with no improvement

 

[goodybags]

I sometimes wonder how many eye infections I’ve had, I must ask @the DMO clinic after all they should know, I started on Eylea then they tried Lucentis then Vabysmo currently have a Ozurdex in my right eye it does it’s magic in there.
currently I just have a problem which in the last letter the consultant sent my GP described as, nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) as you can see over the years have had multiple treatments in both eyes.

 

[Eddy Edson]

I sometimes wonder how many eye infections I’ve had, I must ask @the DMO clinic after all they should know, I started on Eylea then they tried Lucentis then Vabysmo currently have a Ozurdex in my right eye it does it’s magic in there.
currently I just have a problem which in the last letter the consultant sent my GP described as, nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) as you can see over the years have had multiple treatments in both eyes.

Sounds like Ozurdex is working for you? Hope so!