OUTCOMES of AN INTRAVITREAL INJECTION CLINIC

Purpose: To examine the safety outcomes of an intravitreal injection-only clinic where patients needing long-term anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy are treated with injections at a predetermined interval for a set number of injections without an accompanying clinic visit. Methods: This is a retrospective chart review of all patients with exudative macular degeneration treated in an intravitreal injection clinic over a 4-year period. Data on the outcome measures of interest were gathered from electronic medical records. Results: There were 556 patients who received 4,386 injections in the injection-only clinic in a total of 1,524 injection cycles. One hundred six cycles were interrupted. The most common causes for interruption were decreased vision in the injected eye (32), decreased vision in the fellow eye (23), flashing lights (6), pain (5), and irritation in the noninjected eye (2). Of patients who had interruption of the cycle, 32 had a new diagnosis (6 corneal abrasions, 6 exudative age-related macular degeneration in fellow eye). There were six instances of conversion to exudative age-related macular degeneration found in the other eye at a routine follow-up visit following the injection clinic. Conclusion: An injection-only clinic may provide a reasonable approach to streamline retina practices to ensure that patients receive timely injections.