Avoid talking during your eye injection, studies show
Avoid talking during your eye injection, studies show
Studies have shown that simply talking during your eye injection procedure greatly increases the risk of some eye infections, possibly devastating ones.
Intravitreal eye injection treatments have become standard care in eye doctors offices all over the world. Anti-VEGF medications in particular have changed the landscape of retina treatment.
It is important that both the patient and the doctor avoid talking during your eye injection, or at least while the needle is being administered to the eye. Researchers looked at records of more than 125,000 patients who received eye injection treatments for various eye conditions, like wet age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema. The records were separated into two groups: patients who saw physicians who had a “no-talking” policy and those who permitted talking.
The rate of endophthalmitis eye infections in the talking-permitted group was around 1-in-2,000. The rate of infection in the no-talking group was much lower, at about 1-in-5,000.
This data suggests that talking spreads oral flora-associated germs into the air, around the eye being treated. When these germs get into the eye, endophthalmitis can occur. This condition can take the vision and quite possibly blind the eye permanently if not aggressively treated within several hours. Endophthalmitis is the number one concern of physicians performing intra-vitreal eye injections.
So, the next time you find yourself in the eye doctor’s exam chair preparing for an eye injection, gently remind the doctor and his/her staff that you’ve read about the “no-talking” policy.
