When can I go back to work after an eye injection?

An intravitreal injection is an office procedure that the ASRS says takes about 10 to 15 minutes start to finish. There is no incision, no stitches and no general anesthesia, so there is no standard time off work.

The NEI states plainly that most people can go back to their normal activities right after the treatment. In practice, the limiting factor is comfort and vision for the first few hours: a scratchy, watery eye and smeary vision make screen work and detailed close work annoying rather than impossible.

If your job involves dust, chemical splash, welding, sanding or anything else that could get into the eye, that is the one thing worth pausing on injection day, because the ASRS says to avoid potential contamination of the eye that day. Eye protection or a light-duty afternoon covers it. Many people simply book injections late in the day and go back the next morning.