Kayla Fischer, PA-C

Comfort starts with numbing. Kayla can use numbing drops, a numbing gel that stays on the eye longer, or a small injection of anesthetic under the thin outer layer of the eye for patients who need more. You choose, and she adjusts based on how past injections went.

The needle is rarely what patients remember. The cleansing solution used to prevent infection can sting for a moment, and the eye may feel gritty later in the day. Kayla rinses the eye well afterward to limit that irritation.

The first injection is usually the hardest, mostly because of the anticipation. Most patients find that later injections become routine. If you are nervous, say so at check-in. Kayla will explain each step before she does it, and she will record your preferences so your next visit starts the way you want it to.

First, your eye is numbed and cleaned. A small instrument then holds your eyelids open so you do not have to worry about blinking. Kayla will ask you to look in a certain direction, away from where the medication goes in.

The injection itself is placed in the white of the eye and lasts only a few seconds. You may feel pressure, and you may see a brief dark shape or swirl as the medication mixes into the gel inside the eye. Small floating spots can appear afterward and usually fade within a day or two.

Some patients notice a red spot on the white of the eye after an injection. This is a small bruise on the surface of the eye. It looks alarming, but it is harmless. Like a bruise on your arm, it fades on its own within a week or two.

Plan for more time than the injection itself, which is over in seconds. Most of the visit goes to checking your vision, OCT imaging of the retina, and giving the numbing medicine time to work.

Your physician uses the OCT scan to decide whether the retina is dry and stable or still leaking. That result guides whether you receive an injection that day and when you should return.

Some visits also include a dilated exam. Dilation blurs your vision for several hours, so bring a driver on those days. Our team can tell you ahead of time what your visit will include.

The medication works for a limited time. Most eye injections block a protein called VEGF, which drives leaky, abnormal blood vessels in the retina. As the medicine wears off over several weeks, the leaking can return. Think of each injection as a patch on a leaky hose that holds for a while, then needs renewing.

Treatment often starts with monthly injections. Once the retina is stable, your physician may lengthen the gap one step at a time, often to eight or twelve weeks, and sometimes longer. OCT scans at each visit show whether the longer gap is still holding.

Much of the vision loss from these conditions comes simply from a delay in treatment. Skipping or putting off injections gives the disease room to cause damage that may not come back. Keeping your appointments is the single most useful thing you can do to protect your vision during treatment.

Most patients are comfortable driving after an injection. We welcome you to bring a driver if you have any concern. Reading, watching television, and walking are all fine.

For the rest of the day, avoid rubbing the eye. Lubricating eye drops, also called artificial tears, ease the gritty feeling. Our team will tell you if your physician wants you to follow any other steps.

Infection after an injection is rare. When it does happen, it needs quick treatment. Call us right away if pain gets worse instead of better, if redness spreads, if light starts to bother your eye, or if your vision drops in the days after the injection. Shane Retina has a physician on call around the clock.

Kayla gives injections for wet macular degeneration, macular edema, diabetic retinopathy, and retinal vein occlusion. In each of these conditions, fluid or abnormal blood vessels damage the macula, the part of the retina used for reading and recognizing faces.

She also gives injections of Syfovre and Izervay, newer medicines that slow geographic atrophy, the advanced form of dry macular degeneration.

Your physician chooses the medication and the schedule based on your diagnosis and imaging. Kayla carries out that plan and keeps your physician updated on how your eye responds.

Sometimes, yes. Macular degeneration often affects the two eyes differently. One eye may have the wet form, which is treated with injections, while the other eye has the dry form.

In that case, your physician may recommend injections for the wet eye and consider Valeda light therapy for the dry eye. Your physician decides whether this approach fits you based on your exam and OCT imaging.

Because Kayla provides both treatments, patients on this kind of plan can see the same provider for each. Our team will help you line up your injection and Valeda visits so the schedule stays manageable.

Valeda light therapy is a non-invasive treatment for dry macular degeneration. It uses low-level red and near-infrared light to stimulate cells in the retina, a process called photobiomodulation. The light helps these cells produce energy more efficiently and reduces inflammation and cell death.

Valeda is the first FDA-authorized treatment for intermediate dry macular degeneration. It is meant for patients who have drusen (small yellow deposits under the retina) and who still have working retinal tissue to protect. Kayla provides Valeda light therapy at Venice Retina and our South Tamiami Trail office.

Valeda is not a treatment for wet macular degeneration. It is also not suited to patients who have already lost central vision from advanced atrophy. Your physician will review your exam and OCT imaging to decide whether it fits your eye. Patients with geographic atrophy, the advanced form of dry macular degeneration, may be candidates for Syfovre or Izervay injections instead.

You sit at the Valeda device and look into it while it delivers a series of gentle light pulses. The light is bright, but the treatment is painless. There are no needles, and nothing touches your eye.

Each session takes about 20 minutes. A full course is nine sessions spread over three to five weeks, so you will see Kayla several times a week during that stretch. We will help you schedule the sessions at whichever office is easier for you to reach.

There is no recovery time, and most patients return to their normal activities right away. To keep the benefit, the treatment course is typically repeated about every four months. Your physician will track your progress with regular exams and imaging.

Kayla sees patients at two offices. Venice Retina is on Venetia Bay Boulevard in the heart of Venice, serving Venice, North Port, Englewood, and Nokomis. Our South Tamiami Trail office is just south of Bee Ridge Road in Sarasota, serving South Sarasota and Siesta Key.

The two offices have different phone numbers. For Venice Retina, call (941) 202-1900. For the South Tamiami Trail office, call (941) 351-1200.

When you call, let our team know which office is easier for you to reach. Valeda treatment involves several visits over a few weeks, so choosing the office closest to home can make the course much easier to complete.

Call the office you would like to visit. For Venice Retina, call (941) 202-1900. For our South Tamiami Trail office in Sarasota, call (941) 351-1200. You can also send a request online, and our team will call you back.

Many patients can schedule directly, though some insurance plans ask for a referral first. If you are already receiving injections at another practice, let us know. We can request your records so your treatment continues without a gap.

Sudden changes need faster attention. If you notice a curtain or shadow over your vision, a burst of new floaters or flashes, or sudden vision loss, tell our team when you call so we can see you as soon as possible.