When treating wet macular degeneration with ranibizumab, dosing guidelines call for a specific amount to be injected into the affected eye. The typical amount is 0.5 mg once a month. Before the injection, your eye(s) will be cleansed and numbed. After administering your monthly ranibizumab dosage, your healthcare provider will observe you for awhile to make sure you do not develop any serious side effects.
Ranibizumab Dosing: An Introduction
The dose of
ranibizumab (
Lucentis®) that your healthcare provider recommends will vary, depending on a number of factors, including:
- How you respond to ranibizumab
- Other medications you may be taking
- Other medical conditions you may have.
As is always the case, do not adjust your ranibizumab dose unless your healthcare provider specifically instructs you to do so.
Ranibizumab Dosing for Wet Macular Degeneration
The recommended dose of ranibizumab for the treatment of
wet macular degeneration is 0.5 mg, injected into the eye once a month (about every 28 days). If only one of your eyes has the disease, you will receive a dose just in that eye. If both your eyes are affected, you will receive a dose in each eye. In studies, people who received ranibizumab injections once a month had more vision improvement, compared to people who received injections less often. However, there may be certain situations in which your healthcare provider recommends using injections less frequently than once a month.
General Information on Dosing With Ranibizumab
Considerations for people taking ranibizumab include the following:
- The medication is injected into the eye on a monthly basis by your healthcare provider.
- Your eye(s) will be cleansed to prevent infection and numbed before the injection. While you should feel no pain, you may feel a little pressure.
- After each injection, your healthcare provider will observe you for awhile to make sure you do not develop any serious side effects of ranibizumab.
- You may receive a prescription for antibiotic eyedrops to use after each injection.
- You should have someone drive you home after your injection, as your eye(s) will be dilated during the procedure (which temporarily affects your vision).
- For the medication to work properly, it must be used as prescribed. Ranibizumab will not work if you stop taking it.
Add this article to your Favorites
Email this article
Print