Ranibizumab
About Ranibizumab
Ranibizumab is a prescription injection used to treat serious vision conditions caused by abnormal blood vessel growth in the back of the eye. It is commonly prescribed to treat conditions like wet age-related macular degeneration and diabetic eye damage. By targeting the root cause of fluid leakage in the retina, this medicine helps protect and preserve your sight.
This medication is injected directly into the eye by a specialist, usually once a month or as decided by your eye doctor. Since it is an injection, you do not need to worry about taking it with or without food. To help support your treatment results, it is highly recommended to eat a diet rich in eye-healthy nutrients and protect your eyes from bright sunlight.
While using Ranibizumab, you may experience mild, temporary side effects like eye redness, irritation, or seeing small spots in your vision. However, if you experience severe eye pain, worsening redness, or sudden changes in your vision, you must contact your doctor immediately. These serious signs require prompt medical evaluation to protect your eye health.
Before starting treatment, tell your eye doctor if you have any pre-existing eye conditions, such as glaucoma or a history of eye inflammation. Do not use this medicine if you currently have an active eye infection or severe inflammation inside your eye. Sharing your complete medical history helps ensure your doctor can plan your treatment safely.
There are no known direct interactions between this eye injection and foods or alcohol, but you should still tell your doctor about all other eye drops or medicines you use. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or an older adult, consult your doctor to discuss the risks and benefits of using this medicine.
Uses of Ranibizumab
Medicinal Benefits
Ranibizumab helps treat certain retinal and eye conditions by reducing swelling and abnormal fluid build-up in the eye. By protecting the retina, it helps preserve vision and supports long-term eye health.
- Helps Preserve Vision: By controlling the underlying retinal swelling, Ranibizumab helps stabilise vision and may improve visual clarity in some patients, supporting daily activities such as reading, driving, and recognising faces.
- Reduces Retinal Swelling and Fluid Build-Up: By decreasing fluid leakage and swelling in the retina, Ranibizumab helps protect the delicate tissues responsible for clear vision.
- Supports Long-Term Eye Health: Regular treatment helps reduce the risk of progressive vision loss associated with chronic retinal conditions and supports ongoing protection of visual function.
Directions for Use
- Follow your doctor’s instructions on the dosage and timing of this medication, to improve effectiveness.
- Ranibizumab will be administered by a healthcare professional.
- Do not self-administer it.
Storage
Side Effects of Ranibizumab
Common Side Effects (Usually mild):
- Temporary eye pain, discomfort, or irritation
- Seeing small spots or floaters in your field of vision
- A red spot on the white of your eye (caused by a tiny broken blood vessel)
- Feeling like there is sand or dust in your eye
Serious Side Effects (Consult a doctor right away):
- Severe, worsening eye pain or redness
- Extreme sensitivity to light
- Sudden blurry vision, decreased vision, or loss of sight
- Discharge or pus coming from the treated eye
- Signs of a serious allergic reaction, such as a skin rash, itching, or swelling of the face, tongue, or throat
Medicines Containing this Salt
View AllDrug Warnings
- Check your vision daily: Monitor the vision in your treated eye by covering the untreated eye to check for any sudden changes, blurs, or blind spots in the days following your injection.
- Do not drive immediately: Your eye doctor will likely dilate your pupils, and your vision may be blurry or highly sensitive to light after the injection. Arrange for someone else to drive you home safely.
- Avoid rubbing your eyes: To prevent infection and irritation, do not touch or rub your treated eye for at least 24 hours after receiving the injection.
- Watch for infection signs: Contact your doctor immediately if you notice worsening eye pain, deep redness, light sensitivity, or any unusual discharge from the eye.
- Track your appointments: Consistency is key; keep a calendar of your injection appointments to ensure you do not miss a scheduled treatment phase.
Drug Interactions
- Other intravitreal medications: Using other medications injected into the same eye at the same time may increase the risk of severe eye irritation or alter how Ranibizumab works. Always consult your doctor before using multiple eye treatments.
Drug-Drug Interactions Checker List:
Safety Advice
Alcohol
consult your doctorIt is not known if alcohol interacts with Ranibizumab. Please consult the doctor.
Pregnancy
cautionRanibizumab should not be used during pregnancy unless the benefits outweigh the risks. Consult the doctor if you are pregnant, think you may be pregnant or planning for pregnancy.
Breast Feeding
unsafeIt is not known whether Ranibizumab passes into breast milk. However, if you are breastfeeding, inform your doctor before receiving Ranibizumab.
Driving
cautionRanibizumab may cause temporary vision blurring. Avoid driving or operating heavy machinery if you experience this.
Liver
cautionIf you have a history of liver problems, inform the doctor before receiving Ranibizumab.
Kidney
cautionDose adjustment may not be needed in patients with renal impairment. However, if you have a history of kidney problems, inform the doctor before receiving Ranibizumab.
Children
cautionRanibizumab is not recommended for children as the safety and effectiveness have not been established except for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in babies born prematurely. However, the safety profile in preterm infants has not been established beyond 2 years.
Habit Forming
Diet & Lifestyle Advise
- Eat lutein-rich foods: Include plenty of dark, leafy greens like spinach, kale, and collard greens in your diet, as they contain nutrients that support retinal health.
- Quit smoking: Smoking increases oxidative stress in the eyes and is strongly linked to the worsening of macular degeneration and diabetic eye diseases.
- Wear UV-blocking sunglasses: Protect your eyes from harmful ultraviolet light by wearing sunglasses that filter out 99% to 100% of UVA and UVB rays.
- Control blood sugar and blood pressure: If you have diabetic retinopathy, maintaining stable blood sugar and blood pressure levels can significantly slow down damage to your retinal blood vessels.
- Monitor your vision at home: Use an Amsler grid daily (if recommended by your doctor) to check for any new wavy lines or blank spots in your central vision and report changes immediately.
Special Advise
- Women of reproductive potential must use effective contraception during treatment with Ranibizumab and for 3 months after the last dose.
- Have your eyesight and eye pressure checked as advised by the doctor.
Patients Concern
Disease/Condition Glossary
Neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (AMD): AMD is an eye disease that causes vision loss due to a damaged macula. In wet macular degeneration, leaky blood vessels grow under the retina. The key symptom of AMD is blurred vision.
Macular oedema: It occurs when blood vessels leak into the macula (a part of the retina). This causes macula swelling and blurred vision.
Retinal vein occlusion (RVO): RVO is the blockage of small veins that carry blood away from the retina, occurring due to the hardening of arteries or the formation of blood clots. Symptoms include sudden blurring or vision loss.
Diabetic macular oedema (DME): DME is a complication of diabetes that occurs when excess fluid starts to build up in the macula of the eye, leading to vision problems. Symptoms are blurry vision, double vision, seeing floaters, and seeing colours that look washed out.
Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR): It is the advanced stage of diabetic eye disease that occurs when the retina starts growing new blood vessels. Symptoms are vision loss, poor night vision, colours appearing faded or washed out, blurry vision, and seeing an increased number of floaters.
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP): ROP is a disease-causing vision impairment due to damage to the back of the eye (the retina) caused by abnormal growth of blood vessels.
FAQs
Ranibizumab is used to treat Neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (AMD), macular oedema following retinal vein occlusion (RVO), diabetic macular oedema (DME), proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), and choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Also used in premature babies to treat retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).
Ranibizumab works by stopping abnormal blood vessel growth and leakage in the eyes that may cause vision loss.
Ranibizumab may affect fertility. Fertility problems may interfere with the ability to get pregnant or father a child. Consult the doctor if you have any concerns.
Ranibizumab can be used in the elderly aged 65 years or older if prescribed by the doctor. However, talk to the doctor if you have any concerns.
Ranibizumab should not be used by individuals who are allergic to any of its active ingredients and those who have an eye infection, eye inflammation, or severe inflammation within the eye. Always consult your healthcare provider before using this medication.
The duration of treatment with Ranibizumab depends on the condition being treated and your response to the medication. Your healthcare provider will determine the appropriate length of treatment.
After taking Ranibizumab, inform your doctor if you experience eye pain, discomfort, redness, blurred vision, or increased sensitivity to light. Monitor for signs of infection or retinal detachment, and contact your doctor if these occur. Your doctor may also check eye pressure, as it can temporarily rise. Additionally, inform your doctor if you have a history of eye conditions or stroke-related symptoms.
Ranibizumab causes side effects such as inflammation of eye, retinal bleeding (bleeding in the back of eye), eye pain, a bloodshot eye, small particles or spots in the vision, eye irritation, dry eye, redness or itching in eye, and increased eye pressure. However, please contact a doctor if these side effects persist for longer durations.
Ranibizumab is injected directly into the jelly-like part of the eye (the vitreous) by an eye specialist in a sterile clinical environment. Before the injection, your eye is thoroughly cleaned and numbed with drops to ensure you remain comfortable. Talk to your doctor if you have concerns about the procedure.
Most patients feel mild pressure but little to no actual pain during the injection, as your eye doctor will apply numbing eye drops beforehand. You may experience some mild scratchiness or irritation for a day or two afterward. Talk to your doctor if you experience lasting discomfort.
The total number of injections depends entirely on your specific eye condition and how your retina responds to the treatment. Many patients start with monthly injections, which may later become less frequent. Talk to your doctor to understand your personalised treatment plan.
No, you should not drive immediately after your appointment. The numbing drops, pupil dilation, and the injection itself can cause temporary blurry vision and light sensitivity. Please arrange for a friend, family member, or service to drive you home safely. Talk to your doctor if you have questions.
Yes, it is common to see a small red spot on the white of your eye (a minor broken blood vessel) or to notice temporary dark spots or floaters in your vision for a few days. However, if these spots multiply rapidly or are accompanied by flashes of light, seek medical help immediately. Talk to your doctor if you notice any unusual vision changes.
If you miss a scheduled appointment, contact your eye clinic immediately to reschedule. Delaying your injection can cause fluid to build up again in your retina, which could lead to irreversible vision loss. Talk to your doctor to get back on track.
Yes, but you must inform your eye specialist about all other prescription and over-the-counter eye drops you use. Your doctor will advise you on the correct way and timing to use them safely alongside your injections. Talk to your doctor before starting any new eye drops.
The safety of Ranibizumab in pregnant or breastfeeding women has not been fully studied, so it should only be used if absolutely necessary. You must discuss the potential risks and benefits with your eye specialist before starting treatment. Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Author Details
