Have you noticed blurred or distorted vision from swelling in the back of your eye? At New York Retina Center, Dr. Brandon Johnson offers advanced intravitreal injections and implants to treat conditions such as macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema, and retinal vein occlusion, helping you preserve your sight and regain visual clarity with compassionate, expert care.
Control Retinal Disease and Preserve Vision
Intravitreal injections and implants deliver powerful medications into the vitreous cavity of your eye, the gel-like substance behind the lens, to treat diseases affecting the retina and macula. By placing medication at the source, these treatments effectively reduce inflammation, fluid buildup, and abnormal blood vessel growth. Dr. Johnson uses advanced therapies, including anti-VEGF agents and corticosteroid implants, to manage conditions like macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and retinal vein occlusion, and restore your vision.
Intravitreal Injections & Implants Can Treat These Symptoms:
- Blurred or distorted central vision
- Dark or empty spots in your field of view
- Wavy or bent appearance of straight lines
- Sudden decrease in visual sharpness
- Floating spots or hazy areas that obscure sight
- Swelling or fluid buildup in the macula
- Vision loss related to diabetic or vascular eye disease
When Are Intravitreal Injections & Implants Indicated?
The retina and macula are delicate structures at the back of your eye responsible for sharp, detailed vision. When these tissues become swollen, inflamed, or damaged by leaking blood vessels, your sight can become blurred or distorted. Intravitreal injections and implants deliver medication directly to this area, targeting disease at its source.
They are commonly recommended for conditions such as:
- Age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD)
- Diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema
- Retinal vein occlusion
- Chronic posterior uveitis
- Macular swelling after eye surgery or inflammation
How Do Intravitreal Injections & Implants Work?
Anti-VEGF
Anti-VEGF medications target a protein called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which triggers the growth of abnormal, leaky blood vessels in the retina. These vessels can cause fluid buildup and vision distortion. By blocking VEGF, treatments like Avastin, Eylea, Eylea HD, and Vabysmo help reduce swelling, prevent bleeding, and stabilize or improve vision. Over time, this helps preserve the structure of the macula and maintain sharper, clearer sight.
Steroid Injections/Implants
Steroid medications such as Kenalog, Ozurdex, Yutiq, and Iluvien reduce inflammation inside the eye, which is a major contributor to retinal swelling and blurred vision. These treatments suppress inflammatory signals and stabilize the blood-retinal barrier, preventing fluid leakage. Steroid implants release medication slowly over several months (or even years) to control chronic retinal diseases and protect against long-term damage to your vision.
Benefits of Intravitreal Injections & Implants:
- Deliver medication directly to the back of your eye
- Provide rapid relief from swelling and fluid buildup in the retina
- Help prevent further vision loss and, in many cases, improve clarity
- Offer sustained drug release through long-acting implants
- Reduce the need for frequent treatments or systemic medications
- Minimize inflammation and stabilize abnormal blood vessels
- Improve overall quality of life by preserving independence
What Happens During Intravitreal Injections & Implants?
During your treatment, you’ll sit comfortably while an anesthetic drop is applied to numb your eye to prevent discomfort. Dr. Johnson carefully cleans the eye and uses a fine, sterile needle to deliver the medication or implant into the vitreous cavity. The procedure takes just a few minutes and is performed in the office. You may feel slight pressure but no pain. Afterward, your eye is carefully checked, and you can then resume most normal activities on the same day.
What is the Recovery Process After Intravitreal Injections & Implants?
After your treatment, your eye may feel slightly irritated, watery, or sensitive for a short time. Mild redness or the sensation of a small “bubble” in your vision is common and typically fades within a day or two. You can resume normal daily activities immediately, but your vision might appear blurry for a few hours. Serious complications, such as infection or increased pressure, are rare. Dr. Johnson will carefully monitor your healing and progress during follow-up visits.
Schedule Your Consultation
New York Retina Center is led by Dr. Brandon Johnson, our board-certified ophthalmologist and fellowship-trained retina surgeon with 15+ years of experience treating complex retinal conditions. With advanced training from Wills Eye Institute and Emory University, Dr. Johnson offers expert, compassionate care to protect and restore your vision. If you’re struggling with vision changes, schedule your consultation to explore your candidacy for intravitreal injections and implants in Manhattan today.
