Intravitrealen

Intravitrealen is a term sometimes encountered in ophthalmology that refers to procedures, therapies, or agents administered intravitreally, meaning within the vitreous body of the eye. In standard English medical usage, the preferred term is intravitreal; intravitrealen may appear as a linguistic variant or error in non-English sources. The intravitreal route involves delivering medication directly into the vitreous humor to achieve high local drug concentrations while limiting systemic exposure.

Common indications for intravitreal therapy include conditions that affect the retina and macula, such as neovascular age-related macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema, and retinal vein occlusions. Intravitreal therapy is especially prominent with anti-VEGF agents like bevacizumab, ranibizumab, and aflibercept, which inhibit abnormal blood vessel growth and vascular leakage. Steroids delivered intravitreally, either by injection or implant, are used for inflammatory diseases or macular edema that respond poorly to other treatments.

Administration is typically performed in outpatient clinics under sterile conditions. The injection is placed through the pars plana into the vitreous with a fine needle, following topical anesthesia and antisepsis with povidone-iodine. Typical injection volumes are small, around 0.05 mL, with the choice of agent depending on diagnosis, efficacy, and patient factors. Dosing intervals vary from monthly to bimonthly, and regimens are often guided by imaging findings and functional response.

Safety considerations include risks of endophthalmitis (rare but serious), transient intraocular pressure elevation, cataract progression with repeated injections, retinal detachment, and intraocular inflammation. Systemic adverse events are uncommon but monitored, particularly with anti-VEGF therapies in patients with vascular comorbidities.

History of intravitreal therapy emerged in the late 20th century, with anti-VEGF agents transforming management of retinal diseases in the 2000s. See also intravitreal injection and vitreoretinal surgery.