Literature review highlights environmental impact of intravitreal injections
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Intravitreal injections have a large environmental impact, estimated to be around 210 million kg of CO2 equivalent per year in the U.S. alone, according to a presenter at the American Society of Retina Specialists annual meeting.
This estimate was based on a comprehensive literature review focusing on keywords addressing sustainability. Based on the eligible studies, which were predominantly from the United Kingdom and Ireland, it was estimated that each intravitreal injection produces a carbon footprint of 14 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). This multiplied by the approximately 15 million intravitreal injections performed annually in the U.S. contributes to a total of approximately 210 million kg of CO2e per year in the U.S. Patient transport, procurement and shipping were identified as primary contributors to this figure.
Image: Adobe Stock
The researchers also estimated that each individual injection produces 190 g of medical waste, which equates to about 2.85 million kg of landfill waste in the U.S. alone.
“This review emphasizes the importance of this topic as well as the extensive opportunity that we have as retinal specialists for impactful change, given the sheer number of injections we perform, which is a number likely to continue to increase with the aging population and new therapeutic advancements,” Jacob D. Grodsky, MD, of Ochsner Health in New Orleans, said.
Novel longer-duration therapies, sustained-release devices and gene therapy advances will likely help reduce the environmental impact of the treatment of retinal diseases. However, every retina specialist can take practical, everyday steps to reduce the carbon footprint of their own practices, “recognizing that each decision regarding the use of gloves, masks, drapes, etc is compounded by the number of injections that you perform,” Grodsky said.
“This is an excellent opportunity for us to collaborate with our industry and legislative partners. So next time that you are injecting, I just urge you all to make one conscious decision that will not have any impact on patient safety but will decrease the waste that you produce and will be multiplied by the number of injections that you perform,” he said.
Collapse
Grodsky JD, et al. Environmental impact of intravitreal injection procedures. Presented at: American Society of Retina Specialists annual meeting; July 17-20, 2024; Stockholm.
Read more about
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts