If you have never had a medicine injected into your eye, the following discussion may make you squeamish. Unfortunately for our patients with Age-Related Macular Degeneration (Wet AMD), it is a very common procedure.
Risks When Injecting Eye Medicines
People with Wet AMD have unhealthy new blood vessel growth which harms vision. Ophthalmologists treat the disease by injecting an Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (or Anti-VEGF) directly into the eye.
Most of the time there are no problems, however there are two key risks when injecting medicines into eye:
- infection
- tissue damage
So, what if delivering medicines to the eye could be done with a one-time injection of the material without even having to remove the needle?
A New Way to Inject Medicines into the Eye
Scientists from South Korea are researching self-plugging microneedles (SPM). The study team designed an ultrathin microneedle that stays in the eye and biodegrades (breaks down harmlessly).
The microneedle is treated with a “plug” to seal up the hole, and the drug is released within a specified time frame. More research is needed, but preliminary findings have been very promising.
Caring for AMD in NJ
If you or a loved one is struggling with AMD and you reside in Central New Jersey, contact Dr. Scharfman for an appointment. We’ll ensure the very best care and treatment for your condition.
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