Where do stones come from?
Conjunctival calculi are small dense inclusions that form in the glands of the eyelid with chronic conjunctivitis, prolonged wearing of contact lenses and age-related changes in the mucosa. While they lie in the thickness of the conjunctiva, they do not bother, but when they erupt to the surface, they begin to injure the cornea with every blink. The doctor, under drip anesthesia, opens the surface layer and removes the calculus with a needle; The procedure takes a few minutes and immediately eliminates the sensation of a foreign body.
Why is the drug injected into the eye?
The eye is separated from the general bloodstream by a blood-ophthalmic barrier: the medicine taken in tablets reaches the retina in a negligible concentration. Therefore, local administration is widely used in ophthalmology - drops, injections under the conjunctiva, parabulbar, retrobulbar and directly into the vitreous body.
The deeper the drug is injected, the higher the concentration in the desired area, but the stricter the requirements for sterility and technique.
Types of drug administration
- subconjunctival - under the mucous membrane of the eye
- parabulbar - in the tissue around the eyeball
- retrobulbar - behind the eyeball, closer to the optic nerve
- intravitreal - directly into the vitreous body
What is important for the patient to know
Injections are performed after instillation of anesthetic drops, so pain is minimal. A slight hemorrhage under the conjunctiva after an injection is a common and safe occurrence; it resolves in 1–2 weeks. You should consult a doctor if pain increases, vision decreases, and redness increases a day after the procedure.