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Please Get This Image Out of My Head

March 30, 2007, 1:06 pm

The good news is that they have, for the first time, a treatment for macular degeneration.  My mom got her first treatment yesterday.

The bad news is that it involves getting a hypodermic needle stuck in your eyeball for a direct injection of the drug.

Eeeek.  Didn't want to think about that any more today, so I thought I would dump that image on you guys.

Update:  For those interested, I have an updated post on the details of the new drug.  I joked about the procedure, but in fact it is a god-send, and my mom says that the needle thing is a lot worse in anticipation than in reality.  Those with this same problem should definitely look into it.

Category: Health Care

8 Comments

  1. M. Hodak:

    Does thinking about chicken contact lenses help?

    March 30, 2007, 1:13 pm

  2. Highway:

    EW!

    Ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew....

    Things touching eyeballs is one of the worst things I'm squeamish about.

    March 30, 2007, 2:38 pm

  3. Barbara Meyer:

    Ew ew ew to you too. What price would you pay for sight??? I glad you made it clear it was a treatment, not a cure. When the Dr. extracted the needle he commented that I didn't move a muscle, didn't flinch. I asked him if he had heard of being "petrified".

    March 30, 2007, 4:11 pm

  4. BobH:

    It's interesting how much more sensitive we are about the eyeball than anything else. People are very squeamish, I find, about the idea of laser eye surgery (although no doubt getting used to it) -- they refuse to believe me when I tell them that not only doesn't it hurt, I didn't even feel it.

    March 31, 2007, 9:39 am

  5. Max:

    For me at least, it is not only the eyeball, but rather every treatment in a place that is not visible to me. That's why I don't like dentists :)
    But sticking a needle in your eyeball tops that 1000 times...

    March 31, 2007, 9:45 am

  6. Allan Ames:

    So, if you don't like having needles stuck in your eye, start eating 1/2 pound of greens a day and stop the progress of the disease.

    March 31, 2007, 2:23 pm

  7. coytoe:

    By the way, "barbara meyer" in the comments is "mom" in the post. And she is right. I have an updated post with details of the treatment for those who know people who might benefit.

    March 31, 2007, 2:35 pm

  8. TCO:

    how does it compare to Visudyne?

    April 8, 2007, 5:16 am