When should one stop anti-VEGF injections?
OCT 20, 2022
Question:
When should one stop anti-VEGF treatment. I am a 66-year-old diabetic and have had seven injections.
Answer:
Talk with your ophthalmologist who can better explain the goal of your treatment and when it might be safe to stop anti-VEGF injection treatments.
Anti-VEGF injections help treat diabetic macular edema (swelling of the central retina), which causes blurry vision, and diabetic retinopathy (when the retina starts growing new blood vessels), which can lead to vision loss. The goal of treatment is to reduce swelling from macular edema and slow vision loss when used for diabetic retinopathy. Special scans or images of the retina taken during treatment help your doctor decide whether to continue treatment or reduce their frequency given the condition of your retina.
A discussion with your ophthalmologist will be helpful to determine how you are responding to treatment. Many patients need injections for many years to control their disease.