30g vs 33g Needle for Intravitreal Injections

Intravitreal Injection Using 33-gauge Versus 30-gauge Needles: Comparison of Patients' Experience

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT03038048

Enrollment

Registered

2017-01-31

Start date

2017-01-27

Completion date

2017-04-27

Last updated

2017-07-25

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Age Related Macular Degeneration, Diabetic Macular Edema, Retinal Vein Occlusion

Brief summary

We are comparing the patient experience between the standard 30 g needle to the smaller 33 g needle for intravitreal injections of ranabizumab or aflibercept for age related macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema, or retina vein occlusions.

Detailed description

This is a prospective, randomized, interventional pilot study, which seeks to compare the patient experience using 30-gauge versus 33-gauge needle for bilateral same-day intravitreal injections of ranibizumab or aflibercept for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic macular edema (DME), or macular edema associated with retinal vein occlusion (RVO). The null hypothesis is that there is no difference in patient discomfort or pain with the 30-gauge needle compared to the 33-gauge needle.

Interventions

PROCEDUREVarying needle size with intravitreal ranibizumab or aflibercept

Varying gauge of needle, 33 gauge vs 30 gauge

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE (Subject)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Patients undergoing bilateral, same-day, intravitreal injections of either ranibizumab oraflibercept for the diagnosis of wet AMD, DME, or RVO-associated macular edema

Exclusion criteria

* 1\) Patients who do not receive Betadine ophthalmic solution prior to intravitreal injection due to documented allergy 2) Patients who are receiving intravitreal bevacizumab (this medication iscompounded into pre-filled 1-mL tuberculin syringes).

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Difference in discomfort between 30g and 33g needle	Day 1	Intravitreal injection study pain questionnaire to evaluate discomfort associated with intravitreal injections

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Intraocular pressure 5 minutes post injection	Day 1

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026