Ozurdex

Ozurdex is a prescription implant is used to treat eye inflammation, eye swelling, and blocked eye blood vessels caused by several different medical conditions. Ozurdex belongs to a group of drugs called corticosteroids. These work by inhibiting the body from producing chemicals that are involved in inflammation.

This medication is available in the form of an intravitreal eye implant. It is surgically implanted into the eye by a healthcare professional.

Common side effects of Ozurdex include increased eye blood pressure, eye bleeding, and eye pain.

Ozurdex can also cause blurred vision. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how Ozurdex affects you.

Ozurdex is a prescription eye implant medication used to treat eye inflammation, eye swelling, and blocked eye blood vessels caused by several different medical conditions including:

• Retinal vein occlusion
• Posterior segment uveitis
• Diabetic macular edema

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

• Allergan, Inc.

Serious side effects have been reported with Ozurdex. See the "Ozurdex Precautions" section for additional information.

Common side effects of the Ozurdex include:

• increased eye blood pressure
• eye bleeding
• eye pain
• eye redness
• cataracts
• headache

This is not a complete list of Ozurdex side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:

• bromfenac eyedrops
• diclofenac eyedrops
• flurbiprofen eyedrops
• ketorolac eyedrops
• phenylephrine eyedrops
• nepafenac eyedrops
• smallpox vaccine
• suprofen eyedrops

This is not a complete list of dexamethasone drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Serious side effects have been reported with Ozurdex including the following:

​Eye complications. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have some or all of the following symptoms of eye complications:

• sustained blurry vision
• unexplained persistent eye pain
• grey or dark spots within the field of vision
• eye protrusion/extension out from the eye socket

If your eyes become red, sensitive to light, painful, or develop a change in vision, seek immediate care from your ophthalmologist.

Do not take Ozurdex if you:

• are allergic to Ozurdex or to any of its ingredients
• have glaucoma
• have a torn lens
• have a systemic fungal infection or viral eye infection

Patients who are taking Ozurdex should not receive live or live, attenuated vaccines. Killed or inactivated vaccines may be administered, but the patient’s response to the vaccines cannot be predicted.

Ozurdex can also cause blurred vision. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how Ozurdex affects you.

Medications can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of Ozurdex, there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving this medication.

Before taking Ozurdex, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions. Especially tell your doctor if you:

• are allergic to Ozurdex or to any of its ingredients
• have a systemic fungal infection
• have or have had herpes simplex virus infection of the eye
• have a torn eye lens
• have glaucoma
• are pregnant or breastfeeding

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

Ozurdex falls into category C. In animal studies, pregnant animals were given this medication and had some babies born with problems. No well-controlled studies have been done in humans. Therefore, this medication may be used if the potential benefits to the mother outweigh the potential risks to the unborn child.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

It is not known if Ozurdex crosses into human milk. Because many medications can cross into human milk and because of the possibility for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants with use of this medication, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or stop the use of this medication. Your doctor and you will decide if the benefits outweigh the risk of using Ozurdex.

Use Ozurdex exactly as prescribed.

This medication is available in an intravitreal eye implant form for implantation into the eye by a healthcare professional. Your physician will monitor you after implantation of Ozurdex.

If your eyes become red, sensitive to light, painful, or develop a change in vision, seek immediate care from your ophthalmologist.

Use this medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the post-implantation care instructions your doctor provides to you carefully.

The chioce to prescribe Ozurdex may be based on the following:

• the condition being treated
• other medical conditions you have
• other medications you are taking
• how you respond to this medication
• your age

The recommended dose of Ozurdex for the treatment of eye inflammation, eye swelling, and blocked eye blood vessels is intravitreal implantation of 0.7 mg with the Novadur solid polymer drug delivery system.

If Ozurdex is administered by a healthcare provider in a medical setting, it is unlikely that an overdose will occur. However, if overdose is suspected, seek emergency medical attention.