Diabetic Retinopathy-
Treatment Modalities
Intravitreal Triamcinolone
in
Diabetic
Macular
Oedema
What is intraviteral
triamcinolone acetonide(IVTA) injection
?
Triamcinolone acetonide
is a steroid which helps in
decreasing inflammation and swelling in
various conditions .
Intravitreal triamcinolone is an
injection of this steroid drug into the
vitreous cavity of your eye. The aim of
this injection is to decrease the fluid
accumulated in the macula, decrease the
swelling and hope for some vision
improvement. This option is
advised when the
condition is not considered suitable for
gentle laser treatment.
Procedure-
It is given as an
injection in the operation theatre
through the white part of your eye. The
injection procedure itself takes few
minutes after anaesthetising your eye
and it usually feels like a tiny prick.
Your eye will remain patched for few
hours and you would be examined later on
to ensure that the procedure went of
well. Some amount of redness is expected
and it usually disappears in 7-10 days
time.
What care should I
take after the injection?
1. After the injection
you usually notice black swirls in the
vision, so you are advised sitting
position for a day which allows the drug
to settle in the lower part of eye.
2. Eye hygiene should be
maintained.
3. Topical antibiotic
drops for 4-5 days.
4. Seek advice if there
is excessive pain, redness or discharge.
Benefits:
Most of the patients
will notice some improvement in vision
gradually with in a month. This could
also make the condition more amenable to
subsequent laser treatment. Generally
this improvement is temporary if the
diabetes is not controlled
simultaneously. Repeated injections may
required.
Risks:
The injection will put
the eye pressure up for a few hours. It
is therefore riskier if you have
glaucoma, but this is generally not a
major problem. Extra eye drops or
tablets are given if the pressure stays
up. Rarely there are chances of major
complications like retinal detachment
and infection.
Acknowledgements
Last Reviewed by Dr Anil Patil
16th April,2008
