Diagnosed with Wet in November 2021

By Sharon Hume

1 min read

So here is an update. I haven't posted in a while...

I now have macular degeneration in both eyes and get injections every six weeks. Been going on now for about five months. I still have pain after I am home, and numbness has worn off. Intense pain which causes me to take pain pills for relief.

One good thing is I asked if they could lessen my dilation of my eyes. They did!! I have green eye and when they are dilated the light intensifies. That did help.

My next injection 7/6/2023.

One more thing. I now take AREDS2 chewable! I hope it helps. I couldn't take the pill as I have trouble swallowing.

Sharon Hume

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Brown Eyed Girl Moderator
 @Sharon Hume thank you for updating us. I'm sorry to hear you have macular degeneration in both eyes now. Is the other eye wet as well? Are you having both eyes injected at the same time? It is interesting that the reduced dilation helped you. Do you think it helped after the injection or only during the injection? Also, I have never heard of green eye. Would you explain that for us? Thank you, Wendy, Patient Leader.
Sharon Hume Member
Hi Wendy, First off I meant to day I have light green eye's and when you color is lighter the dilation affects you more as in brightness and lasting longer than normal............that is what I meant by that. Lesser of the dilation drops makes your dilation go back to normal quicker. Sorry I wasn't very clear. Also, yes I get the injections at the same time, which is a good thing to get it over with rather than a return trip in a week or so. Oh, yes I have WET in both eyes. I go next time this coming Thursday. Once I recover I will write again. Usually the day after is just as hard as the first. Just take recovery period longer. I pray there is an improvement, I will see Thursday. Yours Truly, Sharon Hume
1. Sharon Moore Moderator
 <inline-mention username="Sharon Hume" user-id="4554906"/> I have green eyes but was not aware it affected how long the eyes stay dilated. My sister experiences discomfort for a couple of days. She is now on Vabysmo and it is extending the time between inject. I Hope all goes well on the 6th. Regards, Sharon Moore patient leader 
2. Brown Eyed Girl Moderator
 <inline-mention username="Sharon Hume" user-id="4554906"/> first of all, best of luck on Thursday. Secondly, I'd heard of "pink eye" and "red eye," so I'm glad you don't have a disease called "green eye". I should have woken up to that one! Wendy, Patient Leader.
Sharon Hume Member
Yes, dilation lasts longer with fair eyed people. And having both eyes dilated is 'glaring' to put it mildly, so I asked the tech person who does drops. She went to ask Dr and came back telling me they could do mild dilation. Like I said in another post, my dilated eyes were not normal even at midnight with the previous dilation. Also, I read about the Vabysmo, I will check this Thursday with Dr and ask about it. I read side effects of this medication, but they are no different than Eylea and could cause retina detachment, same as the Eylea. Sharon Hume 
1. Sharon Moore Moderator
 <inline-mention username="Sharon Hume" user-id="4554906"/> yes unfortunately all medications carry the risk of side effects. I may ask my doctor about light dilation at my next visit. Regards, Sharon Moore patient leader
Sharon Hume Member
Yes, do I think you will see what a difference in brightness and wearing off sooner. It was a big plus for me. Sharon
1. Sharon Moore Moderator
 <inline-mention username="Sharon Hume" user-id="4554906"/> thanks for the tip! Regards, Sharon Moore patient leader
Sharon Hume Member
Hello, I had both eyes injected last Thursday with Eylea and my Dr. and I talked about the new Vabysmo medication. Actually, it was on my list to talk about it but he brought it up before me so that is what will be injected in five weeks. Yes, I have gone from six weeks to FIVE weeks, it seems the left eye isn't doing too well! UGH!! Again I suffered intense pain for a couple hours and now two days later my right eye is still stingy and achy, so I don't know what that's all about. Keeping my self-aware of any bad pain, flashes or tunnel vision, but so far just achy. Hoping that Vabysmo will be a better drug, we shall see. Oh, and again light dilation and was thankful for that. My eyes were almost normal before midnight. Sharon Hume 
1. Brown Eyed Girl Moderator
 <inline-mention username="Sharon Hume" user-id="4554906"/> thank you for updating us. Hopefully the Vabysmo will get you going in the right direction again with longer breaks between injections. Does your doctor have any comments about what might be causing the intense pain after the shots? You've probably already asked about more thorough rinsing - do they do that? Wendy, Patient Leader.
Sharon Hume Member
Thank you for your reply. It seems they rinse thoroughly and when I mention 'pain' to the Dr. he really seems uninterested to me. I could be wrong. The attitude I've been feeling is 'there's pain for everyone' get over it and be thankful for your eyesight. So I have kind of calmed down in my complaining, but it's still there. This time it seemed different in that it wasn't really in the back of my eye, more under my eyelids and today my right eye is acting up still since injections last Thursday. I hate to complain so I am waiting in 'great expectations' for the Vabysmo and compare. Five weeks, I will let everyone know. Sharon Hume
1. dlblakney Member
 I too have advanced to both eyes wet but am only getting shots in my left eye because the right eye has scarred over and is no longer bleeding. I have wondered if I need to keep taking the ARED’s vitamins since advancing to wet. I thought the vitamins were to keep dry from becoming wet.
2. Brown Eyed Girl Moderator
 <inline-mention username="dlblakney" user-id="3117206"/> that's a good question. My understanding is that the supplements are supposed to help slow down progression to the advanced form of AMD, both advanced dry and wet forms. You have already reached that stage. I'm attaching a link to an article relating to this. Can you check with your doctor about taking the supplements? https://www.mdfoundation.com.au/about-macular-disease/age-related-macular-degeneration/supplements-for-amd/#:~:text=AREDS2%20supplements%20don%27t%20prevent,or%20wet)%20in%20both%20eyes. Best wishes, Wendy, Patient Leader.
Sharon Hume Member
I wish I knew about AREDS, I take the chewable, and I don't know if it's helping or not. I will continue to take the vitamins but I don't think they have a correcting ingredient in them to help our eyes. Wishing you all the best in your eye health, keep taking the vitamins. Sharon Hume
1. Brown Eyed Girl Moderator
 <inline-mention username="Sharon Hume" user-id="4554906"/> I understand how you feel about the AREDS2 supplements. I've taken them for about 10 years. There's no real way of knowing how much they help each individual, but the studies did show positive results in slowing progression for a significant number of people. They don't restore vision with AMD. I think they've helped me. After a decade I still don't have too many sight difficulties. Best wishes, Wendy, Patient Leader.