Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections are preserving vision for patients with a variety of conditions who would have had few treatment options prior to their advent. But they’re not perfect. Like any medication—especially one that requires invasive intraocular injections for delivery—they carry a few risks, such as retinal pigment epithelium tears, vitreoretinal fibrosis, secondary glaucoma, retinal detachment and endophthalmitis.¹ So, it may seem prudent to tread lightly when using this therapy. However, according to a new retrospective study, injecting both eyes in one day doesn’t really increase the risk of complications.

A Canada-based research team looked at 524 eyes of 262 patients who received concomitant bilateral intravitreal anti-VEGF injections in 2016. If any of the patients were receiving simultaneous bilateral injections on a regular basis prior to 2016, data pertaining to previous injections were also reviewed. The researchers found that the patients underwent an average of 19 bilateral injection sessions. In a total of 9,798 shots, incidence of endophthalmitis was 0.01%, and only two episodes of acute intraocular inflammation were seen.

 “Same-day bilateral intravitreal anti-VEGF injections present a low rate of complications and are well tolerated by patients,” the study concludes. “This safe practice may reduce the burden on the health-care system and on the patients.”