AI-generated conceptual illustration of retinal therapy; not a diagnostic image or treatment result.

Regular retinal injections can preserve useful sight, but the appointments can be demanding. Patients often ask whether newer medicines might allow more time between treatments. For some eyes, the answer is yes. The safest interval still depends on disease activity, the medicine used and the response seen during follow-up.

The main advance is greater treatment durability: maintaining disease control for longer between injections. It does not mean that a damaged retina is permanently repaired or that monitoring can stop.

What anti-VEGF treatment does

In wet age-related macular degeneration, abnormal blood vessels can leak beneath or within the retina. In diabetic macular edema, leakage causes swelling in the macula, the central area needed for reading and recognizing faces. A protein called vascular endothelial growth factor, or VEGF, contributes to these processes.

Anti-VEGF medicines suppress that signal. They are delivered into the eye by a trained clinician using numbing medication and antiseptic precautions. Treatment can reduce fluid and help stabilize or improve vision, although existing scarring or tissue damage can limit recovery. Many patients need an initial series of relatively frequent injections. National Eye Institute: injections

Two approaches to longer-lasting control

Faricimab acts on VEGF-A and another pathway involving angiopoietin-2. In the TENAYA and LUCERNE trials for wet AMD, patients assigned to faricimab had treatment intervals adjusted according to disease activity. At two years, vision outcomes were comparable with the trial’s aflibercept comparator, and many faricimab-treated patients reached longer intervals, including 16 weeks. That maximum was achieved by a subset of participants; it was not appropriate for every eye. TENAYA and LUCERNE two-year results, 2024

A higher-dose formulation of aflibercept uses a different approach. The PULSAR trial compared aflibercept 8 mg at planned 12- or 16-week intervals with aflibercept 2 mg every eight weeks after initial monthly treatment. The higher-dose groups achieved non-inferior vision gains at 48 weeks, meaning they met the trial’s pre-specified standard for being no worse than the comparator by more than an allowed margin. Treatment intervals were shortened when specified disease-activity criteria were met. PULSAR, 2024

The PHOTON trial studied the higher-dose approach in diabetic macular edema. These are different diseases and studies, so an interval discussed for wet AMD should not be assumed to apply unchanged to diabetic edema. PHOTON, 2024

Later 96-week reports from PULSAR and PHOTON, published in 2026, found maintained visual benefits with fewer injections in the higher-dose groups under the trials’ monitoring and adjustment rules. PULSAR follow-up, PHOTON follow-up

Why your injection schedule is individual

Ophthalmologists use vision measurements, examination findings and optical coherence tomography, or OCT, to assess fluid and other signs of activity. A treat-and-extend plan gradually lengthens the interval when the eye is stable and shortens it when disease becomes active again.

Some patients need frequent treatment despite newer medicines. Others do well on an existing medicine and may not need to switch. The number of injections is only one part of the decision; visual stability, safety, access and cost also matter. Current prescribing information emphasizes regular assessment and allows more frequent treatment for patients who need it. Faricimab U.S. prescribing information, April 2026

Never postpone an injection yourself because vision seems unchanged. Your clinician should determine whether extending an interval is safe.

Risks and symptoms that need urgent attention

Eye injections can cause irritation or a small surface bleed. Uncommon but serious complications include infection inside the eye and retinal detachment. Pressure can rise after an injection. Medicines also have their own precautions; for faricimab, these include reports of retinal vasculitis or vascular occlusion. Your clinician should discuss the relevant risks and your medical history before treatment.

Worsening eye pain, increasing redness, marked light sensitivity or reduced vision after an injection requires urgent contact with the treating service or emergency eye care. Prescribing information

A practical conversation with your specialist

Ask which condition is being treated, what the scans show, why a particular medicine is recommended and what would trigger a shorter interval. The clinic’s retinal treatments page offers a starting point for arranging an assessment. Product approval, supply and funding differ between countries; the studies discussed here do not confirm that any medicine is available at this clinic.

Related reading

Macular degeneration | Diabetic retinopathy

This article provides general education and cannot determine which treatment is right for an individual. Diagnosis and treatment require an ophthalmologist’s assessment. Technologies, approvals and availability vary by country and centre.

Sources

  1. National Eye Institute. Injections to Treat Eye Conditions. (Accessed 2026-10-05).
  2. Khanani AM et al. TENAYA and LUCERNE: Two-Year Results from the Phase 3 Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration Trials of Faricimab with Treat-and-Extend Dosing in Year 2. Ophthalmology. (2024).
  3. Lanzetta P et al. Intravitreal aflibercept 8 mg in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (PULSAR): 48-week results from a randomised, double-masked, non-inferiority, phase 3 trial. Lancet 403:1141–1152. (2024-03-23).
  4. Brown DM et al. Intravitreal aflibercept 8 mg in diabetic macular oedema (PHOTON): 48-week results from a randomised, double-masked, non-inferiority, phase 2/3 trial. Lancet 403:1153–1163. (2024-03-23).
  5. Korobelnik JF et al. Intravitreal Aflibercept 8 mg in Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Ninety-Six-Week Results from the Randomized Phase 3 PULSAR Trial. Ophthalmology 133:39–50. (2026-01; online 2025).
  6. Do DV et al. Intravitreal Aflibercept 8 mg for Diabetic Macular Edema: Ninety-Six-Week Results from the Randomized Phase 2/3 PHOTON Trial. Ophthalmology 133:577–588. (2026-05; online 2025-11-10).
  7. Genentech. VABYSMO (faricimab-svoa) U.S. prescribing information. (Revised 2026-04).

Evidence checked: 5 October 2026.