Retinopathy help or hope?

Hi Geraldine, There are two types of injection .There is the steroid injection {usually triamcolone} and the other is called Avastin.

The steroid will bring down inflammation in the eye and so is ofen used in cases of macular oedema but can also be effective in"drying up " the fluid which is leaking and making laser more effective Avastin is a drug used to cut off the blood supply to tumours wich when used in the eyes stops the growth of the blood vessels which cause the bleeds because they are unnecessary and fragile.

It may be that your hospital has a policy on when to use these treatments but they are not available everywhere or some places do not choose to use them It is possible to ask to be referred to another hospital where the treatments would be available.
It may be that there treatments are not suitable in your case but I always think it does no harm to know of alternatives and to check that they have been considered.
At least they know the lasr is not getting through so won;t comntinue to try ineffectively.
i my unfortunately vast experience ,It is best to take nothing for granted. Google hese terms for yourself so that you are comfortable discussing them. Best of luck. if nothing else the clinic will realise how concerned you are. Many patients don.t want to know details of their treatment.
Do come back and let us know how you get on.

Thank you yet again, I will have some questions to ask the doctor on friday when i go down, Im also making an appointment to see a private consultant to get a second opinion and see if i am better off going private about my eyes. I will keep you informed thanks again.

Hi again I asked about the injection and was told that Avastin is available to me if I need it. I seen the specialist on friday and she told me that she can see regression of the fragile veins in my left eye so at least I know the laser is working. I had more laser done on my right that day and she told me to come back in 4 weeks to review my right eye and if there are signs of regression we will continue with more laser and if not I will be given the Avastin injection and will be brought back within 14 days to get more laser. I am happy enough with what I have been told and look forward to returning to the hospital in a few weeks. Ive had a bleed in my left eye it is annoying but they seem to clear up after a few days so just hoping that everything goes ok and I really am a bit freaked out about the thoughts of maybe having to get an injection into the eye. Can anybody tell me what they experienced while they got the injection, thanks

Nothing to avastin injections. You have plenty of local anaesthetic in the eye so don't feel pain . Its more pressure you feel.
Bit strange but not painful
Then you have drops to put in about 4 times a day for a week T here are worse things..

There's evidence that GOOD control of blood glucose can halt the progress of proloferative retinopathy and may even reverse it. In any case, it's worth a try. Read the forum for ideas on how to do this, which would suit you and to find what Really Good control is
Hana

Thank you I was just a bit worried about the injection being very sore as you would think as it is injected into the eye. My blood sugar levels are good now ( they were bad) but im really starting to change my lifestyle as being diagnosed with proliferative retinopathy did scare me.

Hi Geraldine. thats good news about the laser working and your hospital being on the ball. They differ a great deal. Never does any harm to let them know you are aware of treatments.

Avastin is far easier than steroid injections which are given for maculopathy and macular oedema. The chemical used is clear and does noyt affect you afterwards as opposed to the black fluid in the steroid injection which affects your vision for weeks .

As has been said you should feel no pain. Certainly not a sharp 'needle' pain. The pressure you feel is just like someone pressing hard on your eyeball. You have dilating drops and iodine drops beforehand. It only takes a very short time and most of that is devoted to the hygiene requirements. They will probably cover your face with an adhesive covering and cut through it to get the exact size of your eye. Surgeons tend to have indvidual ways of working but when i had my last injections last month the surgeon marked where she wanted to inject first - not all do - and then told me when she was about to inject. Nothing at all to fear.

in my hospital now they admit you as a day case but this varies. Don't worry at all if you need an injection. They are very successful especially for T1s

When I was diagnosed with diabetes, they also sent me to the ophthalmologist.

He asked if I had glasses? I said no I don't. He said, Now you do? Which I thought
very normal since many of my age already had reading glasses.

After three to four months my sight started to improve without medication or laser operation.
Now I can read the smallest letters again. For me this was like a miracle until
I understood the logical behind it.

Doctors don't investigate and act on the underlying
cause.

Many 'specialists' are ignorant and this week I had my yearly routine and fundography.

All in perfect order and again they congratulated me.

With the healthiest regards,

Pieter