Avastin (also known as bevacizumab) reduces fluid leakage from blood vessels that form abnormally within the macula of the retina – this part of the eye that provides central vision and visual detail.

Current treatments for wet age-related macular degeneration focus on decreasing the growth of new blood vessels with drug injections that inhibit vascular endothelial growth factor – these include Lucentis and Eylea, both approved by the FDA to treat neovascular AMD.

How is Avastin Injected?

As in giving an eye shot, pain-relieving drops are administered to numb the eye before an experienced ophthalmologist injects a small needle directly into your white portion (sclera) using an ultrashort needle injection process that lasts just 15-20 seconds and often without pain for most patients. Your sight will then be evaluated and the drapes removed afterwards.

Avastin is administered subconjunctivally to block the action of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). VEGF stimulates new blood vessel growth at the back of your eye that leak and damage vision, but Avastin works to slow this abnormal development by blocking its action – as well as slow down central vision loss caused by various eye conditions like macular degeneration.

Avastin and Lucentis, two anti-VEGF medications, have both been demonstrated to effectively reverse vision loss caused by wet AMD and proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Both work by blocking new blood vessel formation that leak into and damage retina.

Both medications are injected directly into the eye for treating wet macular degeneration and proliferative diabetic retinopathy, conditions which occur when small blood vessels start growing uncontrollably around the retina, containing light-sensitive cells essential for sight. As these new blood vessels can lead to permanent loss of vision, Lucentis and Avastin from Genentech (an ophthalmology company) have proven themselves capable of stopping this vision loss by stopping growth of new vessels around retina.

Although Lucentis isn’t FDA-approved for treating proliferative diabetic retinopathy, researchers at Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute have demonstrated its efficacy. A study involving 10 early proliferative diabetic retinopathy patients saw improvement after receiving injections with Lucentis; all had improved results on standard eye charts after several months of treatment with Lucentis injections.

What is Avastin Injection for?

Avastin (bevacizumab) is an anti-angiogenic agent, blocking a protein that allows blood vessels to expand abnormally and leak fluid into the retina resulting in vision loss. Avastin reduces this growth of abnormal vessels while decreasing macular edema and maintaining or improving visual acuity for those suffering with wet age-related macular degeneration and related eye conditions such as retinal vein occlusion or proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

There’s an awful lot of money and power behind that claim – enough so that he could start writing again without breaking his neck! So now all we have to worry about is whether our cash won’t run out quickly enough. Bevacizumab, approved for cancer treatments but often used off-label by many physicians for wet AMD treatment, was as effective in improving visual acuity as Lucentis in improving visual acuity among those diagnosed with both neovascular glaucoma of BRVO and DME. This study included 237 patients with both BRVO and neovascular glaucoma who were randomly selected to receive either monthly doses of Lucentis or Avastin injections directly into the eye. Opthalmologists who examined and treated participants were blinded as to which medication they were prescribing in order to ensure impartial results. Patients were then monitored over a two year period; results demonstrated that monthly doses of Lucentis were just as effective in improving vision as as-needed doses of Avastin.

Bevacizumab has also proven effective at treating neovascular glaucoma that does not respond to maximum-dose ocular hypotensives like timolol, dorzolamide or brimonidine.

Even though a monthly dosing schedule may be ideal, not every patient can adhere to its strict regimen due to scheduling or commitment issues. Therefore, PRN dosing, wherein patients receive doses as needed when symptoms appear, has also proven highly effective – in fact a recent study demonstrated this by showing PRN dosing of Avastin had similar outcomes as monthly dosing regimens used by Genentech-sponsored clinical trials of Lucentis; researchers suggest discussing your preferred dosing schedule with their ophthalmologist.

How is Avastin Injection Done?

Avastin injections into the eye are used to treat conditions that result in vision loss, such as leaky blood vessels. Avastin works by stopping these new blood vessel growths that leak fluid and cause swelling that obstruct your vision – this procedure takes place in your healthcare provider’s office.

This procedure should take between 15 to 30 minutes. First, your face and eyes will be cleaned to avoid infection; then numbing drops will be applied directly into your eye; finally a device will be used to hold open and steady your eye while your healthcare professional administers medicine into its vitreous cavity.

Avastin works by inhibiting the effects of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), a protein responsible for stimulating new blood vessel growth. Furthermore, Avastin helps retinal cells resist its effects; as a result, retinal cells become less likely to leak fluid or form abnormal blood vessels behind the eye that cause macular Neovascularization.

Researchers conducted a recent study to test whether intraocular bevacizumab could improve visual outcomes in patients suffering from wet macular degeneration. Their researchers discovered that patients with smaller macular neovascularization lesions and better baseline visual acuity experienced greater improvements after treatment with bevacizumab; however, long-term prognosis remains uncertain for these individuals.

One recent study indicated that intraocular bevacizumab may help to decrease choroidal neovascularization associated with macular degeneration; however, more research should be conducted in order to ascertain if its benefits will remain permanent over time.

Anti-VEGF medications have been approved to treat various eye conditions. These include Aflibercept (Eylea) and Ranibizumab (Lucentis-Gentech). Recently, FDA has also approved Susvimo which contains Ranibizumab to be used as an implantable permanent ocular implant containing this anti-VEGF med. Cabozantinib (Cabometyx – Exelixis) an oral Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor approved to treat renal cell cancer

Drugs for treating glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, bacterial conjunctivitis and dry eye disease will be reviewed here; allergies will be discussed separately in another issue.

What are the Side Effects of Avastin Injection?

Avastin is an injectable form of bevacizumab used to treat neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). It works by restricting abnormal blood vessels that cause swelling and leakage within the eye. Avastin injections into vitreous cavity of your eye require outpatient procedure – it’s important that patients understand all potential side effects before making informed decisions regarding whether this treatment option is right for them.

Wet AMD and proliferative diabetic retinopathy are among the leading causes of blindness in America, but two medications by Genentech – Avastin and Lucentis – are making a remarkable impactful change to this problem. Both products prevent new blood vessels from growing into your retina where they could damage light-sensitive cells essential to vision creation.

Both medications work by blocking vascular endothelial growth factor, or VEGF, a protein which encourages abnormal blood vessel growth behind your eye. Not only can these drugs slow or stop vision loss; they may also improve central detailed vision so it’s easier for you to read, watch TV and recognize faces.

Though Avastin was originally approved for use only against cancer, ophthalmologists can legally utilize it for other conditions if they possess sufficient knowledge of its safety profile and scientific rationale for using it – leading them to use Avastin “off-label” in treating macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy among others.

Avastin has proven just as effective as Lucentis at treating neovascular AMD, yet with one key difference – it costs significantly less per injection. According to results of a two-year clinical trial, Avastin, which can currently be purchased for $50 per injection, proved as effective as its more costly rival in improving vision among those suffering from wet AMD.

CATT, or the Comparison of AMD Treatment Trials Trials, was released online on May 1, 2011. Patients in CATT were randomly assigned either Lucentis or Avastin for use as “treat and extend” treatments with injection frequency tailored to individual disease activity levels. Both treatments demonstrated similar improvements in visual acuity as well as similar levels of macular thickness between groups.