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Updated: Mar 29, 2026
Intravitreous Injection for Establishing Ocular Diseases Model
Published on: October 1, 2007
Intravitreal Injection--Technique and Safety.
Timothy Y Y Lai1, Shu Liu, Sudipta Das
1From the *Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Ma Liu Shui; †2010 Retina and Macula Centre; ‡Dennis Lam & Partners Eye Center, Kowloon, Hong Kong; §C-MER (Shenzhen) Dennis Lam Eye Hospital, Shenzhen; and ¶State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
Intravitreal injections require careful disinfection to prevent endophthalmitis. Further research is needed to determine optimal povidone-iodine (PVI) application times and the role of prophylactic antibiotics in reducing infection rates.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Infectious Disease
Background:
- Intravitreal (IVT) injections are common in ophthalmology.
- Endophthalmitis is a sight-threatening complication of IVT injections, with reported rates between 0.020% and 0.085%.
- Current guidelines recommend povidone-iodine (PVI) disinfection and topical antibiotics for prevention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and compare current IVT injection protocols with international guidelines.
- To highlight variations in clinical practice.
- To discuss strategies for endophthalmitis prevention.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature and guidelines on IVT injection techniques.
- Description of a specific institutional IVT injection protocol.
- Comparison of the protocol with international standards.
- Presentation of a table differentiating true, sterile, and pseudoendophthalmitis.
Main Results:
- Povidone-iodine (PVI) application times in IVT injections are often shorter than recommended for other procedures.
- Evidence supporting routine prophylactic antibiotics is currently inadequate.
- Significant variations in clinical practice persist despite published guidelines.
Conclusions:
- Optimal PVI disinfection duration for IVT injections requires further investigation to potentially lower endophthalmitis rates.
- The routine use of prophylactic antibiotics lacks strong evidence, but further standardization of studies is needed.
- Adherence to standardized protocols and guidelines is crucial for improving IVT injection safety.
