Infection
I have been getting injections for over 10 yrs now. My Dr has always been very careful, and I've primarily focused on managing the pain from dry eyes and discomfort of declining vision. However, on 12/23/24, 3 days after my last injections, I woke up with intense pain in my R eye & forehead. I tried waiting it out, thinking it must be a headache, but by evening I was blind. A call to the advice nurse at Kaiser got us into ER, and the staff pulled out all stops to diagnose & treat the infection inside my eye with injected antibiotics. It's now 21 days later, and the debris from the infection is very slowly being absorbed into my blood stream. I am still struggling with very cloudy vision and using frequent medications in eye drops. The loss of vision in my R eye has compromised the vision in my L eye, as they had filled in holes for each other, at least in my brain's perception. How long does this take to clear? How will I cope with the increased use of betadine that she has warned me of? This has been a big emotional setback, and physically impacted my activities.
I just had my first injection. I know infection is rare but something to be avoided if possible. The use of betadine is the preferred prep for injections. Extra rinsing by the tech is your best option to avoid the irritation. After my injection they offered to put in an antibiotic ointment and patch the eye for a couple of hours. I accepted the offer in hopes of preventing infection. They also gave me single use drops. I was also warned not to get water in my eyes for a couple of days. Have injections halted until the infection clears? Warmly, Sharon Moore patient leader 
I am so sorry that you are dealing with this. I hope you are feeling better!
thank you for your support & encouragement. I am getting checked every week now by my Retinal Dr, and she has not detected any retinal damage. She will be dilating me this week and taking pictures. I am taking 4 different Rx eye drops, and my R eye is slowly clearing. I can see more detail at close range, but not print or faces. I've been getting injections for over 10 yrs, and this is the first time I've gotten infected. Hopefully, the last. This has been quite impactful. It's now been 24 days, and she anticipates it could take 3 months. Rohana Rice
Hi Rohana. My name is Judy. The very same thing happened to me about 9 months ago. I was more fortunate than you in that I called my doctor as soon as I woke up with the symptoms. They got me right in and were able to save my eyesight. I am still dealing with the debris in my eye. I just saw my doctor this morning. He said it’s unusual for the debris to last this long, so he’s going to operate on my eye to clear it out. What I don’t understand is that my AMD seems better. I haven’t required a shot in the 9 months since all this happened! I see my doctor every few months. Infection is a VERY scary and serious thing. The doctor told me he gives about 15,000 shots a year and maybe 1-2 people get an infection. He told me the infection came from the shot. I don’t in any way blame him for it. It’s just the luck of the draw, I guess. Try and be patient. Use your drops as directed. I’m still using the Prednisilone that I was prescribed when it happened. Good luck and take care.
thank you for the explanation. Fear of infection is a constant. It helps to know what the symptoms are. Warmly, Sharon Moore patient leader I realize it's too early for me to come to any conclusions about how this is going to go, but I'm curious about your experience. My Dr told me it should clear in 3 mo. and that I could have better or worse vision than I had before this event! So now I know there's really no reliable prediction! Why are you still using the prednisone? That concerns me. Also, my Dr is assuming i infected myself, not the drug. So, did you not get blinded by the infection because you caught it early? How much interference are you getting from the debris? Thank you for writing to me. Rohana
