Eye floaters after Avastin injection, a common treatment for many eye disorders, have been linked to silicone oil. Silicone oil can be present on the plunger, barrel and needle of the syringe used to deliver the medication to the eye.

The longer the prepared syringes sit in storage, the more likely the oil can migrate into the medication itself. Unfortunately, freezing the prepared drug may exacerbate the problem.

Avastin has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a cancer-treatment drug. It was found to be helpful in the treatment of many eye diseases by ophthalmologists, but it doesn’t have the express approval of the FDA to be used in this manner.

This is not an unusual practice, by any means. Doctors often use their expertise in identifying uses for available prescription drugs that may not be within the traditional scope of use as outlined by the drug oversight agency, known as off-label usage. Eye floaters after Avastin injection are a side effect of such use.

What is unusual about this situation is that the drug is prepared for injection by compounding pharmacists using syringes that also are not made for this type of application –hence the silicone oil lubricant.

Eye floaters after Avastin injection can look a lot like bubbles in the field of vision. While annoying, they don’t cause physical pain, but are far from harmless. Any risks associated with eye floaters after Avastin injection must be balanced with an initial look at what ophthalmologists treat with the drug.

Eye Problems Frequently Treated with Avastin Injections

Avastin is often used to treat wet age-related macular degeneration. Age-related macular degeneration is an issue affecting the retina of the eye of which the macula is part.

As this develops and progresses, sufferers can lose all or part of their central vision while the side vision might remain normal and clear. Details within the target central region will not be visible up close or far away. Details are lost and the overall picture up front can be blurry.

Diabetic eye diseases are also treated with Avastin. They include diabetic macular edema or swelling of the macula, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and cataracts.

Diabetic conditions affecting the eye can lead to gradual vision loss and eventual blindness if left untreated. The high blood sugars of a diabetic tend to damage the blood vessels at the back of the eye on the retina leading to these conditions.

Avastin tends to stop the growth of abnormal blood vessels at the back of the eye that leak and contribute to the degeneration of visual acuity over time. All conditions treated with Avastin have abnormal blood vessel growth in common.

The Risk of Eye Floaters After Avastin Injection

The risk of eye floaters after Avastin injection can run the gamut. They can be minor such as general eye inflammation and irritation, or they can be more severe.

More severe developments because of getting the silicone oil in the eye can be infection, damage to the cornea, a condition of increased pressure in the eye (glaucoma) or reduced pressure in the eye (hypotony).

The eye floaters after Avastin injection can also at their worst contribute to retinal tearing and detachment and vision loss or blindness –the very situation the drug was given to prevent.

If you feel you or a loved one have been hurt because of an Avastin injection, an expert product liability lawyers can discuss your situation with you to see if legal recourse is right for you.

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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