Lucentis Side Effects

Eye irritation, high blood pressure, and eye pain are some of the more common Lucentis side effects. Those that occur less frequently include cough, insomnia, and dry eyes. There are also a number of potentially serious side effects of Lucentis that should be reported to a healthcare provider immediately, including decreased vision, eye infections, and retinal detachment.

 

Lucentis Side Effects: An Introduction

As with any medicine, side effects are possible with Lucentis® (ranibizumab); however, not everyone who takes the drug will experience side effects. In fact, most people tolerate it quite well. If side effects do occur, in most cases, they are minor and either require no treatment or can easily be treated by you or your healthcare provider.
 
(This article covers many, but not all, of the possible side effects with Lucentis. Your healthcare provider can discuss a more complete list of Lucentis side effects with you.)
 

Common Lucentis Side Effects

Lucentis has been studied thoroughly in clinical trials. In these studies, the side effects that occur in a group of people taking the drug are documented and are then compared to side effects that occur in another group of people not taking the medicine. This way, it is possible to see what side effects occur, how often they appear, and how they compare to the group not taking the medicine.
 
In these studies, the most common side effects of Lucentis included:
 
  • Redness or blood spots on the white part of the eye -- in up to 77 percent of people
  • Eye pain -- up to 37 percent
  • Specks in your vision -- up to 32 percent
  • High blood pressure (hypertension) -- up to 23 percent
  • Feeling like there is something in your eye -- up to 19 percent
  • Eye irritation -- up to 18 percent.
     
Other common Lucentis side effects, occurring in 4 to 17 percent of people, included:
 
(Lucentis Side Effects Continued: Page 2)
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;