Eylea

Eylea is a prescription medication for the treatment of people with wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD, a common eye disease associated with aging) and macular edema. Eylea is also used to treat diabetic retinopathy in patients with diabetic macular edema. 

Eylea belongs to a group of drugs called vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) antagonists and placental growth factor (PlGF) antagonists. It works by inhibiting a protein that stimulates growth of new blood vessels and blood vessel leakage.

This medication comes in an injectable form to be given directly into the eye by a healthcare provider.

Common side effects of Eylea include eye redness and pain, blood spots on the whites of eyes, and cataracts.

Eylea is a prescription medicine used to treat:

• Wet Age-related Macular Degeneration (wAMD)
• Diabetic Macular Edema (DME)
• Diabetic retinopathy in patients with diabetic macular edema
• Macular Edema following Retinal Vein Occlusion (RVO), which includes Macular Edema following Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion (BRVO) in addition Macular Edema following Central Retinal Vein Occlusion (CRVO)

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Take this medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully. The dose your doctor recommends may be based on the following:

• the condition being treated
• other medical conditions you have
• other medications you are taking
• how you respond to this medication
• your weight
• your height
• your age
• your gender

Wet Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD): The recommended dose for Eylea is 2 mg administered by injection in the eye every 2 months (8 weeks) following 3 initial monthly (4 weeks) injections. Eylea may be dosed once per month, but additional benefit was not seen with this dosing plan.

Macular Edema following Retinal Vein Occlusion (RVO): The recommended dose for Eylea is 2 mg administered by injection in the eye monthly (every 4 weeks).

Diabetic Macular Edema (DME):  The recommended dose for Eylea is 2 mg administered by injection in the eye every 2 months (8 weeks) following 5 initial monthly (4 weeks) injections. Eylea may be dosed once per month, but additional benefit was not seen with this dosing plan.

Diabetic retinopathy in patients with diabetic macular edema:  The recommended dose for Eylea is 2 mg administered by injection in the eye every 4 weeks (monthly) for the first 5 injections then followed by 2 mg once every 8 weeks (2 months).

Serious side effects have occurred with Eylea injections including:

• serious infections inside the eye
• detached retinas
• cataracts
• inflammation inside the eye 
• increased eye pressure
• uncommonly, some patients have had serious, sometimes fatal, problems related to blood clots, such as heart attacks or strokes

If your eye becomes red, sensitive to light, or painful, or if you have a change in vision, call or visit your eye doctor right away.

After receiving an Eylea injection, you may experience temporary vision problems. Do not drive or operate machinery until your vision has returned to normal.

The most common Eylea side effects include:

• conjunctival hemorrhage (bleeding in the eye)
• eye pain
• cataract
• vitreous detachment
• vitreous floaters
• increased pressure in the eye

This is not a complete list of Eylea side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Serious side effects have occurred with Eylea injections. See "Drug Precautions" section.

Because Eylea is injected into the eye, only a very small amount of the drug reaches the bloodstream, making Eylea unlikely to interact with most medications. However, be sure to tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

This medication falls into category C. In animal studies, pregnant animals were given this medication and had some babies born with problems. No well-controlled studies have been done in humans. Therefore, this medication may be used if the potential benefits to the mother outweigh the potential risks to the unborn child.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if Eylea is excreted in human breast milk or if it will harm your nursing baby.

Before you receive an aflibercept injection, your eye will be cleansed to prevent infection and numbed to reduce discomfort during the injection.

You may feel pressure in your eye when the medication is injected. You should feel no pain.

After your injection, your doctor will need to examine your eyes before you leave the office.

After receiving an aflibercept injection you may experience temporary vision problems. Do not drive or operate machinery until your vision has returned to normal.