Use of iodine before eye injections

NHS Borders 

Borders Eye Centre
Borders General Hospital
Melrose
Roxburghshire
TD6 9BS
  tel: 01896 826 771

Use of Iodine before eye injections

Before your injection treatment (intravitreal injection) is given, we clean the eyelids and surrounding area of
your eye with an antiseptic agent called Povidone-Iodine (PVP-I). Iodine is also used for patients undergoing
any type of eye surgery or procedure. This leaflet aims to answer some of the questions patients frequently ask us about our use of Iodine. However, if there is anything else you would still like clarified, please ask your eye doctor or nurse practitioner.

Why is Iodine used before my eye injection?

Using Iodine before an intravitreal injection procedure means there is minimised risk of infection. UK audits
demonstrate that the use of Iodine during IVT procedures carry an infection rate of one in 3,000 cases in the
UK.

If I experience sensitivity to Iodine does that mean I may be allergic?

All antiseptic agents/drops are known to cause mild to moderate irritation or some redness but that does not
mean that you are allergic to them. Very rarely, patients are truly allergic to Povidone-Iodine. If you have any
known allergy to Povidone-Iodine please tell your eye doctor when you attend the injection clinic appointment.

Why would I experience sensitivity to Iodine?

Iodine is in the same group as Chlorine (used as an antiseptic in swimming pools) and so it is likely that you will have a similar reaction to the eye irritation you may get from extended swimming.

Is there any preparation I can do to reduce Iodine sensitivity?

It is common to have sensitivity to Iodine and we make every effort to reduce possible irritation by thoroughly washing out the Iodine. Ocular lubricants are available should you develop a sensitivity to Iodine.

Please ask a nurse in the unit if you think you require these. Patients who use drops for glaucoma maybe more sensitive to Iodine than others and so should be aware of this.

Can an alternative antiseptic agent be used?

For patients allergic or sensitive to Povidone-Iodine we can use another antiseptic agent like Chlorhexidine
Gluconate. Chlorhexidine is a good alternative antiseptic agent; however it is not as effective as Povidone-Iodine. Studies show that there is a 10 times greater chance of risk of infection when using Chlorhexidine.

Therefore, to prevent the risk of serious infection, our advice and policy is to use Povidone-Iodine as an antiseptic agent rather than Chlorhexidine.

If you have a known allergy to Iodine please speak to a doctor or a nurse before your injections.

It is important to remember that there have been no known serious adverse effects following the use of Iodine in ophthalmology.