Survey of Intravitreal Injection Practice Patterns Among Retina Specialists. (July 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sassalos, Thérèse M.; Patel, Nish; Andrews, Chris; Smith, Stephen J.; Musch, David C.; Besirli, Cagri G.
• Is Part Of: Journal of vitreoretinal diseases. Volume 4:Number 4(2020)
• Page Start: 306
• Page End: 311
• Publication Date: 2020-07
• Subjects: injection -- intravitreal -- patterns -- respondents -- practice -- retina -- specialists -- survey -- technique; Retina -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Vitreous body -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Retina -- Diseases; Vitreous body -- Diseases; Periodicals; 617.735005
• DOI: 10.1177/2474126419899514
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2474-1264

Abstract

Purpose: Intravitreal injection therapy (IVT) is the most performed procedure in ophthalmology. This study was conducted to determine current trends in IVT delivery. Methods: An online, 31-question, multiple-choice survey was sent to 1677 retina specialists. The survey consisted of 3 sections: general questions, procedure technique, and postprocedure technique. Results: A total of 264 (16%) retina specialists completed the survey. The use of povidone-iodine (100%) and small-gauge needles (97%) was common, whereas ocular anesthesia was split among lidocaine gel (31%), lidocaine drops (25%), subconjunctival lidocaine (28%), and lidocaine-soaked pledgets (15%). More than 85% indicated povidone-iodine contributes to post-IVT corneal toxicity, and 12% reported that a needlestick injury to physician or staff occurred during IVT. Conclusions: Key areas for IVT improvement include optimized ocular anesthesia, development of a guarded needle for ocular drug delivery, and formulation of a less toxic ocular antiseptic.