What It’s Like to Get Eye Injections for Diabetic Macular Edema
DiabetesDiabetic Macular Edema

What It’s Like to Get Eye Injections for Diabetic Macular Edema

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Published on December 15, 2025
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W hen diagnosed with diabetic macular edema (DME) in 2017, Sarah Castaneda, 41, thought she would lose her eyesight completely. At least, that’s what her doctor told her would happen if she didn’t seek treatment right away. Sarah was scared to learn treatment would mean injecting medication into the space in the back of the eye (known as an intravitreal injection).

DME is often treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) medication, which is administered via intravitreal injection at the doctor’s office. Anti-VEGF medication helps decrease the fluid buildup and swelling that cause DME. Corticosteroid injections can also be used to treat DME, but they’re usually prescribed as a second-line therapy.

Sarah standing outside of her home in California.

For Sarah, the idea of eye injections was intimidating. “Not knowing where to go, who to talk to, what to do … was just frightening,” she says.

But with support from her family and the right care team in place, Sarah decided to go through with intravitreal therapy. Eight years later, Sarah has received more than 80 eye injections for DME and wants to help others move past their fear of the treatment that saved her vision.

Sarah’s Hesitation to Start DME Treatment

E ven with her vision on the line, Sarah was hesitant about the eye injections. “I just couldn’t understand how the human eyeball actually survives an injection,” she says. “I figured, once it got punctured, your eyeball’s just going to burst like a balloon.”

It also didn’t help that Sarah’s doctor had instilled a sense of fear, leading her to believe her eyesight may be beyond repair.

But a lifeline arrived from an unexpected source: her cousin Isabel, who was also living with DME. Isabel had good results through anti-VEGF therapy, and she reached out to help Sarah understand the treatment.

Sarah talks with her cousin, Isabel, about DME treatment.

Sarah describes this as a life-changing moment. “That was one of the best phone calls I have ever received,” she says. “I actually talked to somebody who went through it.” Guided and encouraged by her cousin, Sarah was ready to take steps to preserve her eyesight.

The Search for a Doctor Who Offers Hope, Not Fear

F ollowing her cousin’s recommendation, Sarah scheduled an appointment with a new retina specialist. Right away, she noticed a difference in his approach.

“He explained everything thoroughly, and he wasn’t pushy,” Sarah says. “I felt comfortable. I felt like, okay, this person is going to help me.” The doctor took the time to calmly explain what she could expect from the injections.

Sarah's doctor checks her eyes.

Still, Sarah experienced anxiety leading up to the first treatment. “I cried for about an hour and a half before I got my first injection,” she says. Her doctor assured her that everything would be fine and that consistent treatment could help decrease her vision loss.

The Eye Injection Process

I ndividual practices’ approaches differ, but Sarah’s monthly injection appointments follow a relatively consistent formula:

Sarah’s medical team assesses her eyesight, dilates her eyes, checks her eye pressure, and takes images of her retinas. Her eyes are also cleaned with a strong antiseptic.
Using a cotton swab, an assistant inserts a numbing liquid into Sarah’s eyes. She describes this as one of the more challenging parts of the process, because she must sit with the cotton swabs in her eyes. Then, her doctor administers a numbing injection into the eyelids.
A few minutes later, Sarah’s doctor uses a very small needle and syringe to inject the medication into her eyes. Sarah notes that, for the most part, her eyes are numb, but she does feel pressure during the actual injection and sometimes a small pinching sensation.

After the medication is injected, Sarah’s doctor rinses her eyes to remove any excess antiseptic. It’s possible to have a spot of blood where the needle was injected, but this typically clears up within a week. There is also a risk of a large subconjunctival hemorrhage, which causes the eye to look red all around. Sarah is given eye drops to help ease any discomfort.

The entire procedure is quick — only about 10 to 15 minutes. For Sarah, the toughest part is the mental image of the needle going into her eyes. “I think that that probably kills me the most, and it’s just nerve wracking,” she says.

Yet, she pushes through, because she knows that every injection is preserving her eyesight.

A Treatment-Day Game Plan

E ight years into treatment, Sarah has fine-tuned her preinjection routine. She believes in a holistic approach to managing DME and schedules regular acupuncture sessions in an effort to improve her overall health.

She often schedules her acupuncture appointment and eye injections on the same day, so she can get both off her plate.

Sarah sits for her acupuncture appointment.
After acupuncture, Sarah relies on her mom or her kids to drive her to and from the eye clinic. This is especially important after the eye appointment, when her vision might be blurry and her eyes are more sensitive to light.
Sarah's mom picks her up to drive her to her eye injection appointment.

Even though she has more than 80 procedures under her belt, Sarah still feels anxious about needles. In anticipation of this, she takes antianxiety medication the morning of treatment. Sarah also finds that distraction methods, such as meditation and stretching, help calm her down in the waiting room. Then, she listens to music during the injections to cope with any lingering nerves.

“I’m so glad where I am today, because I don’t cry anymore,” she says. “I just go get my injections, and I do what I need to do.”

Sarah and her mom leave the appointment hand-in-hand.

How to Care for Your Eyes After Injections

O nce home, Sarah settles down for some rest and recovery. She sits in a big chair with her dogs and keeps the lights dim to reduce eyestrain.

After her injection appointment, Sarah relaxes on the couch with her dog.
Sarah is careful to follow her doctor’s instructions after injections. She avoids lifting things and bending over, as these movements can create increased pressure in the eyes, which can cause complications. “Even coughing or sneezing can create a hemorrhage,” she says. It’s also important to avoid putting on makeup or swimming for 24 hours after the injections.

Sarah’s Vision Before and After DME Treatment

A t her lowest point, Sarah says she couldn’t see 2 feet in front of her. Now, eight years into treatment, she can see “quite a distance.”

Sarah’s results are consistent with research findings that using anti-VEGF medication for DME may improve eyesight within a year of starting treatment, depending on the severity of the person’s vision loss.

 But it’s also possible to see improvement within a few days to weeks.
Sarah applies eye drops for lubrication each night.
Sarah listens to her body every day for clues as to how well she’s managing diabetes and DME. “If my sugar’s high one day, the next day or that evening, I can feel my vision getting a little blurry,” she says. This blurriness is her body’s signal to “drink more water” and “get back on track.” She also uses eye drops for lubrication every night.

Finding Support From — and Offering Support to — Others With DME

TikTok | @doggiestylez90744

H aving benefited from her cousin’s support, Sarah is determined to pay it forward and ensure no one else feels the isolation she did when she was first diagnosed with DME. She posts videos of her injection process on TikTok (@doggiestylez90744) and started a Facebook support group in 2023 to foster community.

Sarah urges others living with DME to do their own research and listen to their bodies. “You’re not alone,” she says. “There’s always somebody that’s going through it.”
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Diabetic Macular Edema (DME). Prevent Blindness.
  2. Jacoba CMP et al. Diabetic Macular Edema. American Academy of Ophthalmology. July 6, 2025.
  3. Injections to Treat Eye Conditions. National Eye Institute. August 6, 2025.
  4. Intravitreal Anti-VEGF Injection Treatment. National Health Service University Hospital Southampton. March 2024.
  5. Yang W et al. Clinical Observation on Macular Edema Treated With Treating Different Diseases With the Same Acupuncture Comprehensive Therapy. Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. August 12, 2018.
  6. Gurung RL et al. Predictive Factors for Treatment Outcomes With Intravitreal Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Injections in Diabetic Macular Edema in Clinical Practice. International Journal of Retina and Vitreous. April 4, 2023.
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Brittni Scruggs, MD, PhD

Medical Reviewer

Brittni Scruggs, MD, PhD, is an adult and pediatric vitreoretinal surgeon at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Scruggs teaches medical students, graduate students, residents, and fellows, and she participates in several clinical trials for inherited retinal diseases. As one of the principal investigators in the Mayo Retinal Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Scruggs focuses on the optimization of gene therapy and cell-based therapy for improved safety and efficacy in patients with retinal degeneration. She is a member of the Mayo Gene Therapy Working Group.

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Madison Breaux

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Madison Breaux is an editor for Everyday Health. Before working in journalism, she worked as a copywriter and content marketing manager.
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