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Eye Injections are used to treat a myriad of eye complications such as diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration as well as administer medications to treat eye infections. Often people (like me!) needed more than one eye injection and learn tricks along the way. Below are three of my top tips to help you after your eye injection appointment. (Please note I am not a medical professional and these are just some of the methods that worked in my personal experience). The eye injections can be very challenging but you can get through it one day at a time.
1. Close Both Your Eyes
This suggestion sounds obvious but I found a million different activities I wanted to do once I got home especially since most of my entertainment is on my phone screen. I thought that I could do manage doing it all with one eye! Your body and your eye wants to heal so even if you think you can use one eye closed both of your eyes to relax will speed up your healing process. Taking a nap is the best approach and easiest workaround but if you are not sleepy try a podcast, audio book, or a meditation to help you keep both eyes closed. This technique is best complimented by having no lights on or extremely low lights as your eyes will feel sensitive after an eye injection. Typically I kept the lights low for that day and go to bed early. This is the smallest thing that no one tells you to do!
2. Cold Compress On Your Eyes
Cold feels great on healing eyes! Place an eye mask in the fridge before you leave for your appointment to be ready once you return from eye injections. If you need it quickly you can put your eye mask in the freezer. Again, I used the cold compress on both eyes. Tip #2 is another sneaky way to make sure both my eyes were closed as mentioned in Tip #1. I use the individual eye covers but any type of cold compress or any cold item will work.
3. Each Eye Injection’s Response May Vary
Not all eye injections are the same! Each of my eyes also had different reactions during and after the eye injection. For most people their first injection was the toughest one since you don’t know what to expect and your anxiety levels could be higher than normal. Post injection redness and potential floaters might be side effects but talk to your doctor about what you should expect. Definitely call your doctor’s office if you notice something out of the ordinary. After the first round of eye injections I thought they would all be the same but knowing that they could vary definitely eased my concerns when they were not the same. Pay close attention to what your body needs and err on the side of rest and relaxation if you are unsure. Remember, your doctor is there to help!
Eye injections are not fun but absolutely survivable. This is to help your vision for the future. Care after your eye injection is just as important as the eye injection process itself. I skimped out on self-care for my first few eye injections and it took longer to heal. Please take care of yourself and your eye health. You got this!!