What infection control measures are commonly used before intravitreal injections?

What infection control measures are commonly used before intravitreal injections?

• A. Aseptic technique and povidone-iodine antisepsis on the eye; sterile instruments.
• B. Hand hygiene alone before injection.
• C. Using non-sterile instruments with gloves.
• D. Antibiotic drops used after injection only.

Answer: (A)

The key idea is preventing infection by thoroughly preparing the eye and maintaining a sterile setup before the injection. The most effective approach combines antisepsis of the ocular surface with sterile instruments in a clean, aseptic field. Instilling povidone-iodine onto the eye significantly lowers the ocular surface bacterial load, which is the main driver of post-injection infections like endophthalmitis. Using sterile instruments and keeping a sterile field prevents any contaminating microbes from being introduced during the procedure. Hand hygiene matters as part of overall asepsis, but doing it alone doesn’t address the critical step of reducing surface microbes on the eye itself. Using non-sterile instruments with gloves breaks the necessary standard of sterility and increases infection risk. Relying on antibiotic drops after the injection without proper pre-procedure antisepsis does not reliably prevent infection and can contribute to resistance, so it’s not a substitute for pre-injection antisepsis.

The key idea is preventing infection by thoroughly preparing the eye and maintaining a sterile setup before the injection. The most effective approach combines antisepsis of the ocular surface with sterile instruments in a clean, aseptic field. Instilling povidone-iodine onto the eye significantly lowers the ocular surface bacterial load, which is the main driver of post-injection infections like endophthalmitis. Using sterile instruments and keeping a sterile field prevents any contaminating microbes from being introduced during the procedure.

Hand hygiene matters as part of overall asepsis, but doing it alone doesn’t address the critical step of reducing surface microbes on the eye itself. Using non-sterile instruments with gloves breaks the necessary standard of sterility and increases infection risk. Relying on antibiotic drops after the injection without proper pre-procedure antisepsis does not reliably prevent infection and can contribute to resistance, so it’s not a substitute for pre-injection antisepsis.