Summary
More frequently reported side effects include: increased intraocular pressure. Continue reading for a comprehensive list of adverse effects.
Applies to aflibercept ophthalmic: intraocular solution.
Serious side effects
Along with its needed effects, aflibercept ophthalmic may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.
Check with your doctor or nurse immediately if any of the following side effects occur while taking aflibercept ophthalmic:
More common
- Blindness
- bloody eye
- blurred vision
- eye or eyelid redness
- eye pain
- seeing flashes, sparks of light, or a veil or curtain
- seeing floating spots before the eyes
- vision changes
Less common
- Bleeding or pain at the injection site
- swelling of the eyelid
Rare
- Chest tightness
- fast heartbeat
- fever
- headache
- hives, itching, rash, or skin redness
- hoarseness
- irritation
- joint pain, stiffness, or swelling
- swelling of the eye, face, lips, hands, or feet
- trouble breathing or swallowing
Incidence not known
- Pain in the chest, groin, or legs, especially the calves
- severe, sudden headache
- slurred speech
- sudden loss of coordination
- sudden, severe weakness or numbness in the arm or leg
Other side effects
Some side effects of aflibercept ophthalmic may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects.
Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:
Less common
- Feeling like something is in the eye
- watery eyes
For Healthcare Professionals
Applies to aflibercept ophthalmic: intravitreal solution.
General
The more commonly reported adverse reactions have included conjunctival hemorrhage, eye pain, cataract, vitreous detachment, vitreous floaters, and increased intraocular pressure.[Ref]
Ocular
Very common (10% or more): Conjunctival hemorrhage (28%), eye pain (13%),
Common (1% to 10%): Cataract, vitreous floaters, corneal erosion, intraocular pressure increased, conjunctival hyperemia, ocular hyperemia, vitreous detachment, foreign body sensation in eyes, lacrimation increased, vision blurred, intraocular inflammation, retinal pigment epithelium tear, injection site hemorrhage, eyelid edema, corneal edema, retinal degeneration, cataract, cataract nuclear, cataract subcapsular, corneal abrasion, intraocular pressure increased, vitreous floaters
Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Retinal detachment, retinal tear, endophthalmitis injection site pain, traumatic cataract[Ref]
Local
Common (1% to 10%): Injection site pain[Ref]
Cardiovascular
Intravitreal use of VEGF inhibitors has been associated with a potential risk of arterial thromboembolic events (ATEs) defined as nonfatal stroke, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or vascular death (including death of unknown cause). In wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) studies, 1.8% (n=32/1824) and 1.5% (n=9/595) of patients treated with this drug or ranibizumab, respectively, experienced an ATE in the first 52 weeks and 3.3% and 3.2% through 96 weeks, respectively. In the diabetic macular edema (DME) studies, ATEs were reported at incidences of 3.3% (n=19/578) and 2.8% (n=8/287) through week 52, and 6.4% (n=37/578) and 4.2% (n=12/287) through week 100, in patients receiving 2 different dosing regimens of this drug or macular laser photocoagulation (after the first 24 weeks, all patients could receive drug or laser treatment). No ATEs have been reported in the first 6 months of the retinal vein occlusion (RVO) studies.[Ref]
Common (1% to 10%): Arterial thromboembolic events[Ref]
Hypersensitivity
Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Hypersensitivity
