Side Effects of Avastin for Eyes
Avastin (bevacizumab) is a cancer treatment, but some doctors have been prescribing it "off label," meaning they use it for disorders other than what it was created for. One of the disorders being treated with Avastin is wet macular degeneration, a disease of the retina.
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Function
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Wet macular degeneration is caused by the growth of abnormal new blood vessels in the eyes. Avastin works by blocking the growth of blood vessels.
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Procedure
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Avastin is injected directly into the affected eyeball. Avastin injections are usually administered in a hospital setting. The actual injection takes only a few minutes and will be followed by an application of antibiotic drops to guard against infection.
Side Effects
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Because the dosage of Avastin given to eye patients is far less than what is given to cancer patients, side effects are rare and include fatigue and nausea.
Risks
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There is a slight risk of eye infections from the injection, which is why they are administered in the hospital, in a sterile environment.
Considerations
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According to the Royal College of Ophthalmologists', there is no information on the safety of Avastin in its use for the treatment of wet macular degeneration.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit "blue blue blue" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: Look Into My Eyes under the Creative Commons Attribution license. "hypodermic needle IMG_7418" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: stevendepolo (Steven Depolo) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
