Retina Injections

What Are Intravitreal Injections?

Intravitreal injections deliver medication directly into the vitreous cavity of the eye, allowing the drug to reach the retina at therapeutic concentrations. The procedure is performed in the office under sterile conditions and takes only a few minutes.

Our Approach to Patient Comfort

We understand that the idea of an eye injection can feel intimidating. At Retina Institute of North Georgia, we use a combination of proparacaine topical anesthetic drops and a small subconjunctival lidocaine injection to achieve a thorough, consistent level of anesthesia before every intravitreal injection. The vast majority of our patients describe the procedure as painless. Our goal is for every injection visit to be as comfortable and stress-free as possible.

Anti-VEGF Agents

Anti-VEGF medications block vascular endothelial growth factor to reduce abnormal blood vessel growth and fluid leakage. They are the mainstay of treatment for wet AMD, diabetic macular edema, retinal vein occlusion, and related conditions.

• Bevacizumab (Avastin) — Widely used off-label; compounded for intravitreal use. Not FDA-approved for ophthalmic use but commonly administered due to cost and availability.
• Ranibizumab (Lucentis) — FDA-approved for wet AMD, diabetic macular edema, retinal vein occlusion, diabetic retinopathy, and myopic choroidal neovascularization.
• Ranibizumab-nuna (Byooviz) — FDA-approved biosimilar to Lucentis.
• Ranibizumab-eqrn (Cimerli) — FDA-approved interchangeable biosimilar to Lucentis.
• Ranibizumab implant (Susvimo) — FDA-approved intravitreal implant providing continuous ranibizumab delivery via a refillable port; indicated for wet AMD and diabetic macular edema in patients who have previously responded to anti-VEGF injections.
• Aflibercept 2mg (Eylea) — FDA-approved for wet AMD, diabetic macular edema, diabetic retinopathy, and macular edema following retinal vein occlusion.
• Aflibercept 8mg (Eylea HD) — FDA-approved higher-dose formulation allowing extended dosing intervals of up to 16 weeks for wet AMD and diabetic macular edema.
• Aflibercept-ayyh (Pavblu) — The only currently commercially available FDA-approved biosimilar to Eylea.
• Faricimab (Vabysmo) — FDA-approved dual-acting anti-VEGF and anti-Ang-2 agent for wet AMD and diabetic macular edema, with dosing intervals up to 16 weeks.
• Brolucizumab (Beovu) — FDA-approved for wet AMD, with dosing intervals up to 12 weeks after loading doses.
• Brolucizumab (Viscuse) — FDA-approved for diabetic macular edema.

Corticosteroid Implants and Injections

Corticosteroids reduce intraocular inflammation and macular edema. They are used for uveitis, retinal vein occlusion, and diabetic macular edema, particularly in cases where anti-VEGF therapy is insufficient or contraindicated.

• Dexamethasone intravitreal implant (Ozurdex) — FDA-approved biodegradable implant for macular edema from branch or central retinal vein occlusion, non-infectious uveitis affecting the posterior segment, and diabetic macular edema.
• Fluocinolone acetonide implant 0.19mg (Iluvien) — FDA-approved sustained-release implant for diabetic macular edema and chronic non-infectious uveitis affecting the posterior segment.
• Fluocinolone acetonide implant 0.18mg (Yutiq) — FDA-approved sustained-release implant for chronic non-infectious uveitis affecting the posterior segment.
• Triamcinolone acetonide (Triesence) — FDA-approved for visualization during vitrectomy and for sympathetic ophthalmia, temporal arteritis, uveitis, and ocular inflammatory conditions unresponsive to topical corticosteroids.

Other FDA-Approved Intravitreal Agents

• Pegaptanib (Macugen) — First FDA-approved anti-VEGF agent for wet AMD; largely supplanted by newer agents but still approved.
• Revakinagene taroretcel-lwey (Encelto) — FDA-approved (March 2025) encapsulated cell therapy implant for macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel); delivers continuous ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) to the retina.
• Ganciclovir — FDA-approved intravitreal formulation for cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis.

What to Expect

Before the injection, the eye is cleaned with an antiseptic solution and anesthesia is administered. The injection itself takes only seconds. Afterward, patients may notice mild pressure or a temporary increase in floaters, which resolve quickly. Most patients are able to drive themselves home. Treatment frequency varies by medication, condition, and individual response.