• Reference Number: HEY1680/2026
• Departments: Ophthalmology Department
• Last Updated: 22 October 2026

Introduction

This leaflet has been produced to give you general information. Most of your questions should have been answered by this leaflet. It is not intended to replace the discussion between you and the healthcare team but may act as a starting point for discussion. If after reading it you have any concerns or require further explanation, please discuss this with a member of the healthcare team.

What is Ozurdex implant?

Ozurdex (dexamethasone intravitreal implant) is a medication used to treat certain eye conditions. The tiny implant releases a corticosteroid called dexamethasone into the eye over a period of several months. This helps to decrease inflammation and stabilise vision. The medication naturally dissolves over the course of several months so there is no need to remove the implant.

What conditions does Ozurdex treat?

Ozurdex is approved for the treatment of:

• Diabetic macular oedema: swelling (fluid) in the central part of the retina caused by leaky blood vessels related to diabetic damage.
• Macular oedema associated with retinal vein occlusion: swelling (fluid) in the central part of the retina caused by a blocked blood vessel.
• Non-infectious uveitis: inflammation affecting the back of the eye.

You may be suitable for Ozurdex if you have been diagnosed with one of these conditions and have not responded well to other treatments.

How do I come prepared for injection treatment?

Please read the injection information leaflet.  Share the information it contains with your partner and family (if you wish) so that they can be of help and support. There may be information they need to know, especially if they are taking care of you following this examination.

Please eat and drink as usual on the day of the treatment. Please bring your usual diabetic medications with you, especially insulin, if the timing of your visit coincides with your usual medication times. It would be sensible to bring a snack in case of any delays, although this is unlikely to happen.

Please do not drive to your appointment as you will be having dilating drops in your eye/s under-going treatment and should not drive for up to 6 hours afterwards as your vision will be blurred.

The treatments are all done as day-case/out-patient procedures and you will not be staying in hospital overnight.

What should I expect on the day?

When you attend for an injection appointment please report to the main reception desk in the eye hospital. You will then be directed to the correct waiting area. The injection will be performed either in an outpatient clinic or in theatre as a day-case procedure.

A nurse will check your details with you, and you will have dilating drops in the eye to be treated.

The eye will be numbed with local anaesthetic drops before the injection procedure. The skin around the eye is cleaned and a sterile sheet is placed over the face. The injection is given from the side therefore you will not be able to see the procedure, but you may be aware of pressure on or around the eye.

Please be aware that the eye hospital is a teaching unit and that some of the injections in whole or part can be carried out by trainee eye doctors under supervision.

What happens afterwards?

Do not drive for 6 hours after the injection as your vision will be blurred by the dilating drops.

It is normal for your eye to feel slightly gritty, uncomfortable or watery and the white of the eye may be red for a day or so after the injection. This should settle within 2 days.

Immediately after the injection, you may notice a floating rod in in the eye being treated. This will take a few weeks to fade away.

Please avoid rubbing your eye after the injection. The eye can be gently cleaned or dabbed using a ‘clean tissue’. You should dispose of the used tissue and use a fresh new tissue each time you clean the eye.

You should avoid getting water and shampoo or soap into your eye for 48 hours after injection. Wash your hair “salon style” during this time. You should also avoid swimming for 48 hours after the injection.

If your eye feels gritty after the injection, lubricating “dry eye” eye drops can help to make the eye feel more comfortable.

All these symptoms should steadily improve on a daily basis.

Are there any complications and risks associated with Ozurdex?

Like all medications, Ozurdex can cause side effects.

Important side effects which might affect more than 1 in 10 patients include:

• Increased pressure in the eye (1 in 4 patients) – this will be monitored closely, and can be treated with pressure lowering drops, or rarely may need surgery
• Cataract (1 in 10) – clouding of the lens. This develops more with repeated injections and can be treated with surgery

Other common side effects include:

• Floaters
• Flashing lights
• Blurred vision
• Vitreous haemorrhage (bleeding inside the eye)

Uncommon but important side effects include:

• Serious eye infection causing loss of vision (1 in 1000 patients)
• Retinal tear
• Retinal detachment
• Damage to lens
• Low pressure after injection
• Migration to the anterior chamber and corneal decompensations
• Accidental incorrect placement of the implant (rare)

Contact the eye hospital if you experience:

• Increasing pain or ache in the eye
• Sticky discharge
• Blurred or reduced vision
• Increased sensitivity to light
• Redness of the eye that is worsening compared to immediately after the injection
• An increasing number of black dots (floaters) or flashes of light

Please CONTACT THE DEPARTMENT IMMEDIATELY via the phone numbers below.

Contact information

If you suspect you have any of the above symptoms, please contact us:

Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm: Tel: 01482 816658 or Tel: 01482 608788.

Evenings, weekends and Bank Holidays: Tel: 01482 604346 (Please listen to full voice message on how to access emergency out of hours service).

Important Safety Information

Tell your healthcare provider about all medications you are taking, including over-the-counter drugs and supplements.

Inform your healthcare provider if you have any allergies or medical conditions, especially glaucoma or a history of eye infections.

Attend all follow-up appointments as scheduled to monitor your progress and check for any complications.

General Advice and Consent

Most of your questions should have been answered by this leaflet, but remember that this is only a starting point for discussion with the healthcare team.

Consent to treatment

Before any doctor, nurse or therapist examines or treats you, they must seek your consent or permission. In order to make a decision, you need to have information from health professionals about the treatment or investigation which is being offered to you. You should always ask them more questions if you do not understand or if you want more information.

The information you receive should be about your condition, the alternatives available to you, and whether it carries risks as well as the benefits. What is important is that your consent is genuine or valid. That means:

• you must be able to give your consent
• you must be given enough information to enable you to make a decision
• you must be acting under your own free will and not under the strong influence of another person

Information about you

We collect and use your information to provide you with care and treatment. As part of your care, information about you will be shared between members of a healthcare team, some of whom you may not meet. Your information may also be used to help train staff, to check the quality of our care, to manage and plan the health service, and to help with research. Wherever possible we use anonymous data.

We may pass on relevant information to other health organisations that provide you with care. All information is treated as strictly confidential and is not given to anyone who does not need it. If you have any concerns please ask your doctor, or the person caring for you.

Under the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018 we are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of any information we hold about you. For further information visit the following page: Confidential Information about You.

If you or your carer needs information about your health and wellbeing and about your care and treatment in a different format, such as large print, braille or audio, due to disability, impairment or sensory loss, please advise a member of staff and this can be arranged.