Eye injection

[still kicking]

Has anybody had it? My eyesight deteriorated over the years, so I went to a specialist who helped me with the floater I had had 10 years ago. What I have now is, according to the eye specialist, age-related.I had my first injection today(painful) and 2 more to come. Is it worth it? Adding, I am in the West, don't ask for the name of the liquid injected, it will have a different name in Thailand.

[Sheryl]

This will have been for "wet" age-related  macular degeneration. (AMD). 

 

https://www.mdfoundation.com.au/about-macular-disease/age-related-macular-degeneration/amd-treatment/

 

Many older people have this and receive this treatment. Including expats in Thailand.  The injections are costly, however as the drugs are imported.

 

The injections prevent further vision loss in majority (90%) of patients so yes, worth it.

 

https://www.optometrists.org/general-practice-optometry/guide-to-eye-conditions/guide-to-diabetes-and-the-eyes/how-is-diabetic-retinopathy-treated/how-do-anti-vegf-injections-work/#:~:text=Anti-VEGF medications have been,reduce any pain during administration.

 

If you want to confirm availability in Thailand, find out and post the name. 

[still kicking]

2 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

This will have been for "wet" age-related  macular degeneration. (AMD). 

 

https://www.mdfoundation.com.au/about-macular-disease/age-related-macular-degeneration/amd-treatment/

 

Many older people have this and receive this treatment. Including expats in Thailand.  The injectoons are vodtly, jowevet ss yhe drugs are kmporyed.

 

If you want to confirm avsilability in Thailand, find out and post the name. 

Thanks, Sheryl. I am in the West now. Is it dangerous or normal  

[Dan747]

 Yes, it is worth it.  Two years ago, while in Ubon I had a floater that just would not go away and was getting larger in my right eye. So, I went to an Eye doctor in Ubon who did an exam and found I had wet age-related macular degeneration in my right eye and needed to get an injection right away to stop the progression. A retina specialist was recommended at a Bangkok hospital of which I elected to leave to the USA for treatment. In the USA, I was on an eye injection every two months (60) days) for three series for insurance purpose that did not really work till on the Gold Standard of "EYLEA HD" injections. My injections got my floater smaller but did not take it away totally. My injections are down to 90 days due to no activity in the floater and it looks like I will have to live with the very small, blurred wave about one o'clock high in my vision.  Worth it yes, I remember my aunt suffering with total line of sight loss where she could only see from her side vision in her eye to total loss in the other eye. Does it hurt, Hell yes, every injection except one. I am lucky and blessed to have two insurance policies to pay for the injections because they are rather expensive. Here is the EYLEA HD website: EYLEA HD (aflibercept) | Official Patient Website. If you have any further questions, feel free to PM me. "GOOD LUCK!"

[Sheryl]

9 hours ago, still kicking said:

Thanks, Sheryl. I am in the West now. Is it dangerous or normal  

Untreated, it will lead to blindness in most cases.

 

But with treatment this can usually be prevented. 

[FolkGuitar]

Was the pain that you folks felt from the needle itself? Or from the medicine that was injected?
I had two needles into my eye over the course of two weeks at Sriaphat to deal with blood inside my eyeball. Scared the hell outta me, but I didn't feel a thing! Bright light, some pressure, but absolutely no pain. In fact, I'd take that over getting blood drawn. Less painful!

 

[carlyai]

This is my right eye and lots of floaters.

 

Specialist said to wait 6 months (which is now), because sometimes the floaters fall down to the bottom of the eye.

They haven't and it gives me vertigo and balacing issues with all those black spots and things going every.

Booking for the op in March next year.

Evidently 2 ops. One where specialist has to replace the white of the eye to get rid of the tiny calcium deposits and one to stop the optic nerve distortion.

Evidently there are only a few surgeons who were recommended for this op. as it's something that the surgeon has to be doing all the time, so they know exactly what they're doing.

Forget what the ops are called and really I just try and get the best surgeon and just leave it up to them.

[still kicking]

6 hours ago, FolkGuitar said:

Was the pain that you folks felt from the needle itself? Or from the medicine that was injected?
I had two needles into my eye over the course of two weeks at Sriaphat to deal with blood inside my eyeball. Scared the hell outta me, but I didn't feel a thing! Bright light, some pressure, but absolutely no pain. In fact, I'd take that over getting blood drawn. Less painful!

 

Mine wasn't painful as well 

[still kicking]

1 minute ago, save the frogs said:

this guy is an eye doctor.

he claims there is a vitamin supplement for eye floaters.

 

 

I had Floaters for 10 years; they did not bother me much, but the back of my eye came loose, causing loss of sight. 

[save the frogs]

10 hours ago, still kicking said:

I had Floaters for 10 years; they did not bother me much, but the back of my eye came loose, causing loss of sight. 

 

I am not sure it's related to the floaters.

Because I just started having floaters and the doctor said to do nothing about it. She said she has them herself and it's just an annoyance you need to live with. However, it seems like a previous poster has said it got worse and he can't tolerate them anymore. So not sure about that. I guess it depends on the severity. 

 

However the back of the eye is not related to the floaters, I think. 

[still kicking]

1 minute ago, save the frogs said:

 

I am not sure it's related to the floaters.

Because I just started having floaters and the doctor said to do nothing about it. She said she has them herself and it's just an annoyance you need to live with. However, it seems like a previous poster has said it got worse and he can't tolerate them anymore. So not sure about that. I guess it depends on the severity. 

 

However the back of the eye is not related to the floaters, I think. 

I only mentioned I had floaters, which wasn't the problem; the back of my eye came loose, which caused blurred vision. 

[save the frogs]

I am reading up on floaters.

This article is saying the same thing my doctor told me - the best thing with floaters is to leave them alone, unless there is a retinal tear. 

The surgical procedures for floaters appear to be high-risk.

They recommend surgery only for retinal tear, not floaters. 

 

https://www.sciencealert.com/can-a-supplement-really-help-you-control-your-pesky-eye-floaters

 

There are a couple of medical ways to get rid of floaters. The most accepted is a procedure called vitrectomy, which surgically removes the vitreous. But this surgery poses risks to a person's vision far more significant than the floaters themselves.

Zapping floaters with a laser (known as a YAG laser) is another option, but not all experts agree that this is safe. Worryingly, several private companies offer this treatment as a good solution, even though there are reports of damage to various eye structures and glaucoma as a result.

 

 

So what should you do if you find yourself troubled by floaters? Mostly, the best thing to do is ignore them. Over time, the brain adapts, and we notice them much less.

You're more likely to get floaters if you are shortsighted, had cataract surgery, or if you've had eye inflammation (swelling). And you might have more floaters if you have diabetes, so glucose and diabetic control are important.

Occasionally, floaters can be signs of a serious condition. If you suddenly notice a lot of new floaters or flashes, or if a shadow or grey curtain comes down over your vision, this could indicate a retinal tear needing urgent surgery.

[Sheryl]

A pist with unreliable information fom unqualufied source has been removed. 

[GreasyFingers]

I have had six injections for wet MAD, only a slight irritation after each injection (sounded scary before I had them but in reality no problem). They stopped the degradation of the retina so well worth it, but still cannot see much from the eye. The other choice is to probably go blind in that eye.

[carlyai]

Just to tidy up my post on floaters. 

Specialist said they are not dangerous, but in my case very anoying. Really off-putting when we go bike riding.

Specialist said 90% good result and there was a small chance I could go blind (I think he said 1/100000 chance).

That's why you have to have a specialist that is doing the same op day in day out.

I was lucky when I went to the eye clinic to check and had a visiting city optomologist who went thru the city eye surgeons and rulled most out but a few in.

I ended up seeing the top city Specialist.

 

[GreasyFingers]

As your specialist said they are not dangerous, meaning you probably will not go blind. Yes they are a pest when they are in your only good eye (see post above) but you can still see, the most important thing.

[jonworldtexan]

I'm late to this post, as I just saw it in my email.

Earlier this year, I had two shots in my eye at Sriphat in Chiang Mai.

In my situation, it was from a burst blood vessel deep in the center of my eye, and the medication was meant to dissolve that.

 

I don't know what has been covered here, but my experience was this:

First injection, they numbed my whole eyeball for half an hour in advance. The needle itself didn't hurt, but it felt like a nightmare when they put that plastic thing over my face, with a cloth over my mouth and nose so it felt like I couldn't breath for a moment.

That one was super uncomfortable and felt like a piece of sand was in my eye for 3 days after, and I could barely sleep.  Saw a black dot everywhere I looked.

 

Second injection (a month later), they numbed me for just a few minutes and did the injection.  I knew what to expect, so it wasn't painful, but I could see everything including the floating liquid going into my eye.

I was surprised that about a day later, my irritation was gone, and very little pain.  Just uncomfortable and that little black spot you see for two days.

 

Overall, it was an uncomfortable and unfun experience.  But, the tradeoff compared to not being able to see things was quite worth it.

[Sydebolle]

Go and see Dr Roy Chumdermpadetsuk at the www.rutnin.com eye hospital in Bangkok (Asoke Road, Sukhumvit Soi 21). He treated me, successfully, over a 3 ½ years period with regular injections, absolutely painless in a professional sterile operating theatre - on an outpatient basis of course. 

Apart from being a senior professional his English is on a bilingual level and a very pleasant gentleman to deal with. Make an appointment as he is not there every day. 

[Donald Bright]

I was diagnosed with Dry Age Related Macular Degeneration in both eyes about 13 yrs ago in Aus.

The left eye is the worst and a couple of yrs ago my eye specialist told me i would have to have my check ups every three months instead of six.    My eye specialist recommended a couple of eye support products - Macu Guard by Herbs of Gold, Aus, and Eye Support Dr. Mercola, USA.     I was taking one of each tablet, once per day.   

About 2yrs ago i started taking two of each tablet per day.  One of each twice per day.

on my last visit to the eye specialist she told me that the condition had improved but did not know why.

I told her that i had doubled the eye support and she said it may be why.   Anyway i am now back to six monthly checks and improving  even on the Amsler Grid Chart.  I am getting my checkups and tests done here but if things suddenly get worse i will be strait back to Aus on the first plane.   Food for thought guys.

[dantho]

On 8/11/2025 at 4:50 PM, still kicking said:

Has anybody had it? My eyesight deteriorated over the years, so I went to a specialist who helped me with the floater I had had 10 years ago. What I have now is, according to the eye specialist, age-related.I had my first injection today(painful) and 2 more to come. Is it worth it? Adding, I am in the West, don't ask for the name of the liquid injected, it will have a different name in Thailand.

Hi, with regard to your question, having the injections is not dangerous and does help to keep whatever sight you have right now. I started these injections around 11 years ago at a specialist hospital in Bangkok. They were expensive and a monthly cost. I got in touch with an optician friend in the UK who asked to see the images the hospital were taking of the back of my eyes and he said I was wasting my money as the sight in one of my eyes had gone too far and was irreparable. I went back to the UK and have been having treatment on my left eye ever since. I am now at the stage of a gap of 16 weeks between treatment and my left eye is stable. Of course it is a little painful but it is just a quick jab and it is done. The injection is called Ileya (not sure about the spelling) but it is very effective. Luckily in the UK treatment is free on the NHS but in Thailand it cost me somewhere in th region of £1200 and that was 11 years ago. Do keep up with the treatment as it will stabilise the sight you have now.

[still kicking]

6 minutes ago, dantho said:

Hi, with regard to your question, having the injections is not dangerous and does help to keep whatever sight you have right now. I started these injections around 11 years ago at a specialist hospital in Bangkok. They were expensive and a monthly cost. I got in touch with an optician friend in the UK who asked to see the images the hospital were taking of the back of my eyes and he said I was wasting my money as the sight in one of my eyes had gone too far and was irreparable. I went back to the UK and have been having treatment on my left eye ever since. I am now at the stage of a gap of 16 weeks between treatment and my left eye is stable. Of course it is a little painful but it is just a quick jab and it is done. The injection is called Ileya (not sure about the spelling) but it is very effective. Luckily in the UK treatment is free on the NHS but in Thailand it cost me somewhere in th region of £1200 and that was 11 years ago. Do keep up with the treatment as it will stabilise the sight you have now.

Thanks for your reply. I had my first injection last week (first of three), and it wasn't painful, just a little prick. I am in OZ now, as I stated before, the cost was 160AUD, which is just $ 100 American. My normal GP is free for me, but I have to pay for a specialist, which I gladly did; my sight has already improved slightly just after one injection. And my wife, who is a nurse, told me I could go blind without injections. 

[GreasyFingers]

20 minutes ago, still kicking said:

Thanks for your reply. I had my first injection last week (first of three), and it wasn't painful, just a little prick. I am in OZ now, as I stated before, the cost was 160AUD, which is just $ 100 American. My normal GP is free for me, but I have to pay for a specialist, which I gladly did; my sight has already improved slightly just after one injection. And my wife, who is a nurse, told me I could go blind without injections. 

Good to hear that there was no real pain just like mine. Your cost 160AUD, after Medicare I assume, is about right. I had my done at a university hospital for around 5000THB where some of the "international" private hospitals here charge up to 10 times that much for what is a simple 1 second injection.   There are other scans before the injection but some of the charges are outrageous. My specialist told me that "anyone can do them", meaning other specialist with experience.

[Sheryl]

4 hours ago, still kicking said:

...And my wife, who is a nurse, told me I could go blind without injections. 

 

Not just could. Probably will  (about 90% chance). 

 

Continuing treatment is essential to preserve your eyesight. . 

[Jiggo]

On 8/11/2025 at 10:50 PM, still kicking said:

Has anybody had it? My eyesight deteriorated over the years, so I went to a specialist who helped me with the floater I had had 10 years ago. What I have now is, according to the eye specialist, age-related.I had my first injection today(painful) and 2 more to come. Is it worth it? Adding, I am in the West, don't ask for the name of the liquid injected, it will have a different name in Thailand.

What Hospital did you go to, I suggest you go to the Rutnin in Bangkok.

Miss diagnosis at a hospital in Pattaya, had an operation in Rutnin and all is well.

[still kicking]

Just now, Jiggo said:

What Hospital did you go to, I suggest you go to the Rutnin in Bangkok.

Miss diagnosis at a hospital in Pattaya, had an operation in Rutnin and all is well.

Again, I am in the West, and I do not need to go to a hospital; I just go to an eye specialist 

[kokopelli]

I have had injections for Wet Macular Degeneration for 10 or more year both in USA and Thailand. As for pain, upon injection, there is sometimes an unpleasant feeling as the eye is jabbed but lasting only a second or two. Afterwards it depends on what eye medicine they put in the eye to help control any pain.  The worse was Rutin Eye Hospital in Bangkok where the after effects lasted for about 24 hours, like sand in the eye.  There is a gel which may be used which eliminates the pain but blurs the vision for about 24  hour.  Cost in Thailand runs from 9,000-12,000  Baht and much more depending on the medicine used for injection. Initially they use Avastin at 3000 Baht plus 9000 in related costs, for a monthly injection.  But as time progresses the newer medicine, Eylea, costs about  20,000  ( or much more) Baht in total but only every two months., In USA the cost is $15 because of medical insurance. The best experience I have had was at Houston Eye, in Houston Texas. Very professional, quick and no pain upon injection and no pain or pain medication after injection.  

[Orangutan]

One injection Eylea = 28,566 baht  last week at Ramathibodi Hospital in Bangkok.