According to reports, Avastin eye injections may be contaminated with silicone oil, causing Avastin silicone eye floaters to appear in a patient’s eye.

These scientific studies are reporting that the plastic syringes pharmacies use to fill them with the Avastin drug may be lubricated with silicone oil. This oil could get  mixed in with the drug prior to injection, then find its way inside the eye and eventually cause Avastin silicone eye floaters.

According to reports, some of the syringes that these pharmacies are using were intended to be used with diabetics to be inserted into the skin. Silicone lubrication, although suitable for skin injections, may not be suitable for the eye.

These problems associated with Avastin eye injections are not necessarily the fault of the drug’s manufacturer, Genetech. Rather, they are linked to the repackaging syringes that are being used to inject the drug in a patient’s eye.

Avastin, also known as bevacizumab, was manufactured to help avert the growth of cancerous proteins. It is also a drug used to treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic eye disease, and other problems correlated with the retina. Essentially, the drug helps decelerate vision loss that may result from these diseases.

Moreover, the drug blocks growth of abnormal blood vessels formulating in the back of the eye, which can purportedly leak, affect vision, and cause vision loss, from these related eye diseases.

The inadvertent injection of silicone oil into a patient’s eye can lead to all kinds of adverse side effects and complications. Particularly, reports indicate that silicone oil droplets can cause intraocular pressure increase, which requires ocular surgery to correct or diminish. Moreover, if intraocular pressure is left unaddressed, the pressure can lead to more serious complications such as blindness, retinal tearing, infection, inflammation, sight complications, and retinal detachment.

The issue with the lubrication of the syringes with silicone oil is that the silicone oil can migrate from the surface of the syringe to the needle, barrel, and plunger, then mix with the Avastin liquid drug itself. Moreover, not only is there a higher chance that the drug will mix in with the silicone oil lubrication, but that it will more likely happen the longer the syringes simply wait to be used.

The chances of silicone oil contamination increase the longer the prepared syringe sits in storage waiting to be used, or if the syringe is frozen before use.

Studies warn that any compounding pharmacy that works with Avastin and oversees lubricating the syringe with silicone oil should make use of freeze watch cards when they are handling new samples. A freeze watch card will change color if the drugs have been refrigerated or frozen in the past. Using a freeze watch card may purportedly reduce the chance of Avastin silicone eye floaters.

If you or someone you know received an Avastin eye injection and suffered from Avastin silicone eye floaters, you may be able to pursue compensation through an Avastin lawsuit.

Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual lawsuit or Avastin silicone injection class action lawsuit is best for you. [In general, Avastin lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.] Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

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