Newly diagnosed, blurry vision since rapid bg drop.

[FortheHorde]

Thx for replies guys, i have continued to do what i was doing with my low carbs, a bit of cycling when possible and being quite strict with my food and have lost about 10lb since diagnosis two and a half weeks ago.

I also after talking with my nurse about my levels stopped the Insulin on the 30th of June and continued with my 500mg Metformin twice a day and have held my levels quite nicely averaging 5.0-6.0 after sleeping (i rise a little through the night) and then i gradually lower a little as the day passes, i even find myself dropping to the 4.0 late evenings so not struggling with too many spikes ...most likely the low carbs doing the job.

With regards to the blurring...mine has cleared up very well within a day or two of stopping the insulin it came back gradually and i found i could focus closer each day that passed, now it is perfect, this was also a few days after i started keeping reasonable levels..so i cant say if the insulin or my erratic glucose levels were doing it, but it is back to normal now, so be positive guys and thanks for all the help here.

You people are great!!!

Good day to all, new member here. Let me give some of my background and hopefully helps.
I came across with this post (although its been years already) since I have the same case as the thread starter.
I am hoping that I could get advise from this friendly community.

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes @ 26 mmol/L when tested by doctor with HbA1C = 14. two weeks ago.
After blood test doctor prescribe me with Galvus Met 50 mg / 500 mg 2x daily and Lipitor 10 mg 1x daily.

I had also done eye test and doctor said normal findings.

However, since after the eye test my near sight vision got blurred.
I back read this thread and most advise were that it will go back once reading is normalize.

However its been two weeks and my glucose level has gone down.
Average of 7 mmol/ L fasting early morning and 10 mmol/L after meals. but still the same.
I'm using Accu check guide with fastclix lancing device.

I cannot work properly in office since my vision is blurred when looking at my screen,
So I bought this readily available reading glasses with 0.75 diopter which helps me see and read.

My question is how long would this blurred vision usually takes from the start of medication?
Also is it advisable and safe to actually wear reading glasses while waiting to normalize?

I'm afraid that my eyes are deteriorating because it gets more blurred now when I take off the reading glasses.
Should I continue wearing my reading glasses or not?

Hope you guys can advise me, I am getting anxious with what is happening to me.

 

[Krystyna23040]

I was advised by the diabetes clinic that it would take three months to settle down completely - and they were right. The eyes have to adjust to lower blood sugars and it just doesn't happen overnight - but it was very worrying at the time because my eyes were quite blurry for so long (this was 2012).

Although not an optician I would be very surprised if stronger reading glasses were causing the deterioration in your sight.

 

[FortheHorde]

I was advised by the diabetes clinic that it would take three months to settle down completely - and they were right. The eyes have to adjust to lower blood sugars and it just doesn't happen overnight - but it was very worrying at the time because my eyes were quite blurry for so long (this was 2012).

Although not an optician I would be very surprised if stronger reading glasses were causing the deterioration in your sight.

Appreciate your reply @Krystyna23040.
Did you wear glasses during the waiting period of 3 months?

If so, did it occur naturally like one day your clear vision comes back and does not need to wear glasses anymore?

 

[Krystyna23040]

Appreciate your reply @Krystyna23040.
Did you wear glasses during the waiting period of 3 months?

If so, did it occur naturally like one day your clear vision comes back and does not need to wear glasses anymore?

Apologies - have managed to miss your post. I am short sighted and have worn glasses since I was 11 - so did continue to wear my glasses during the waiting period of 3 months but couldn't see very well with them. Husband did all the driving in the beginning because I didn't feel I could see well enough to drive. It gradually improved over the 3 months and I didn't need to change my glasses as my sight was back to normal (ok not normal - but normal for me which is very short sighted but OK with glasses).

 

[Circuspony]

I'm also short sighted and after starting insulin my short-sightedness reversed. For about 3 weeks I had near perfect vision - haven't had that for 35 years! It was surreal. Sadly went back to being short sighted as everything stabilised. Left eye kept pretty much the same as it has been for years, but my right eye is now a much lower prescription but with worse astigmatism.

I had 4 optician appointments in 6 months checking whether it had stabilised.

 

[LD50]

Newly joined.

Jumping on this thread as I am experiencing similar issues with my vision since starting Gliclazide.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Newly joined.

Jumping on this thread as I am experiencing similar issues with my vision since starting Gliclazide.

Hello, and welcome,

This is a very old thread, so you're not likely to get a whole lot of replies here. But yeah... Gliclazide makes your blood sugars drop. If your blood sugars were high enough to merit gliclazide, that basically means the glucose is everywhere. In your eyeballs, in your tears... And it distorts your vision. Do yourself a favour, get a couple of cheap reading specs, and wait for your blood sugars to normalise. Do NOT buy expensive glasses right now, because your vision is going to change a lot over the next couple of weeks. Just cheap ones'll do for the time being. Once the excess glucose is taken care of, your eyesight'll be a lot more steady and dependable than it is right now, honest.

Anyway, again, welcome, and if you hav more on your mind, give a shout on the forum, there's always someone around with answers!
Jo

 

[LD50]

Hello, and welcome,

This is a very old thread, so you're not likely to get a whole lot of replies here. But yeah... Gliclazide makes your blood sugars drop. If your blood sugars were high enough to merit gliclazide, that basically means the glucose is everywhere. In your eyeballs, in your tears... And it distorts your vision. Do yourself a favour, get a couple of cheap reading specs, and wait for your blood sugars to normalise. Do NOT buy expensive glasses right now, because your vision is going to change a lot over the next couple of weeks. Just cheap ones'll do for the time being. Once the excess glucose is taken care of, your eyesight'll be a lot more steady and dependable than it is right now, honest.

Anyway, again, welcome, and if you hav more on your mind, give a shout on the forum, there's always someone around with answers!
Jo

Thanks for the reply and heads up.

I have been a spectacle wearer for quite a few years. In fact I just got a new (and rather expensive) pair of varifocals just after christmas. I am now finding that vision through the mid to long distance part of the lenses is in soft focus and I need to look through the bottom (short distance) part of the lens to have clear vision. I also rely on driving to get to work.

As far as BS readings, I had mmol/L of 30 when I was prescribed the Gliclazide (10 days ago). My readings are now around high single digits to low teens when I do the test before eating. I have a follow up with the diabetic doctor this friday. Will discuss my vision with them then too. Can't afford any new specs atm.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Thanks for the reply and heads up.

I have been a spectacle wearer for quite a few years. In fact I just got a new (and rather expensive) pair of varifocals just after christmas. I am now finding that vision through the mid to long distance part of the lenses is in soft focus and I need to look through the bottom (short distance) part of the lens to have clear vision. I also rely on driving to get to work.

As far as BS readings, I had mmol/L of 30 when I was prescribed the Gliclazide (10 days ago). My readings are now around high single digits to low teens when I do the test before eating. I have a follow up with the diabetic doctor this friday. Will discuss my vision with them then too. Can't afford any new specs atm.

With numbers remaining that high, I'm guessing you haven't started on a low carb diet in the meantime? https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html could get your blood sugars down without wearing your pancreas out in the long run (which is a possibility with gliclazide). Just be very careful and test a lot if you do, because low carb and glic can cause hypo's when combined... Lower your blood sugars through diet and you won't need the pills for much longer. In any case, keep a good eye on things (no pun intended), as that is still quite high to be running, and basically, harmful.

You'll be okay, just takes a little time!
Jo

 

[LD50]

Hi, thanks for the reply.

I have drastically reduced my carbs. No added sugar. No processed foods with sugars. No white bread/pasta. Breakfast is either wholewheat cereal or berries, seeds and yoghurt (with a very small squeeze of honey), salad for lunch (sometimes with a half of a small jacket spud), an apple and/or satusma in the afternoon, sometimes with a small handfull of unsalted cashew nuts, and dinners are currently either salad and quiche, soup and a wholemeal roll, or maybe a small portion of risotto with a hearty portion of veg, followed by either a couple of apples or the yog/berries again.

Only sweetener in my morning coffee. Only sugar free squash to drink. I was a big chocolate fan and have cut that out. No snack biscuits either.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hi, thanks for the reply.

I have drastically reduced my carbs. No added sugar. No processed foods with sugars. No white bread/pasta. Breakfast is either wholewheat cereal or berries, seeds and yoghurt (with a very small squeeze of honey), salad for lunch (sometimes with a half of a small jacket spud), an apple and/or satusma in the afternoon, sometimes with a small handfull of unsalted cashew nuts, and dinners are currently either salad and quiche, soup and a wholemeal roll, or maybe a small portion of risotto with a hearty portion of veg, followed by either a couple of apples or the yog/berries again.

Only sweetener in my morning coffee. Only sugar free squash to drink. I was a big chocolate fan and have cut that out. No snack biscuits either.

Okay, so... You're probably not going to like hearing this, but there's more carbs in your diet currently, than I eat in probably a week. If not two. A carb is a carb is a carb, brown or white doesn't matter, you'll have to process them sooner or later. Cereal is all carbs, practically. Rice is starchy and thus carby... And natural sugars like honey are still, you know, sugars... Fruit are loaded with sugar, potatoes with starches... https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html might help some. The good news though, and there's multiple to rejoice over: You have loads of room for improvement, so your blood sugars can come down quite a bit yet without requiring more medication, and.... Extra dark chocolate is back on the table. There's some brands that have sweetener in like stevia or erythritol, those are fine too.

You're going to be surprised at just how tasty things can still get on a blood-sugar friendly diet.

CHOCOLATE. Hold on to that, and go from there.
Jo

 

[LD50]

The dietary links my GP forwarded to me said fruit and wholemeal cereal/bread is fine. I'm not pursuing a keto diet as that hasn't been recommended to me. I have a followup with the diabetic doctor this Friday when I will discuss my diet. I do a physical job so will need some carbs.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

The dietary links my GP forwarded to me said fruit and wholemeal cereal/bread is fine. I'm not pursuing a keto diet as that hasn't been recommended to me. I have a followup with the diabetic doctor this Friday when I will discuss my diet. I do a physical job so will need some carbs.

Get a meter, is all I'm saying. Then see whether wholemeal and fruit is fine. I know what it does to my blood sugars, but it might not do the same to yours. A meter won't try to sell you anything, it'll just let you know how your blood sugars respond. I thought the low carb/keto diet was basically insane, to be honest, but I tried it to see what happened. It got me off medication and into the normal range, which wasn't happening on the diet my specialist, two dieticians and two nurses advised. Within 3 months I was off metformin and gliclazide, and I never looked back these seven years. It's your health, you decide what you do with it. No-one else has to live in your body the next few decades. You don't have to believe a stranger on the internet, far from it... But if you don't feel right, at any point in the future, test your heart out and see what your meter tells you. It may be saying I'm full of it, fair's fair... (I am full of it, but not where this is concerned, haha). Seriously though. Keep an open mind. If at any point you feel like what you're doing isn't working, don't keep at it when there are other options to try. Your body will thank you in the long run.

By the way, I've followed the carnivore diet for somewhere between 6 to 9 months... It's zero carb. I walked long distances carrying heavy camera gear on no carbs at all. We don't need carbs. Plenty of zero carb or keto professional athletes to prove it.

Anyway, just some stuff to mull over. That said, diet is far from the only way to deal with diabetes, and even then there's a lot of various diets that could be followed, and or combined with medication, so, you know. You have options, and what is right for me might not be right for you. Just please. If one doesn't work for you, try another. Find what works. Funny thing, people always banging on about "special snowflakes", but we are, really... Snowflakes, I mean. We're all different. One may have more insulin resistance than the other, put out more insulin or less, be more sensitive to it than another. There's no one-size-fits-all. Figure it out for your own personal situation, if you feel the need to at any point in time, and listen to your body and meter.

Good luck!
Jo

 

[Antje77]

As far as BS readings, I had mmol/L of 30 when I was prescribed the Gliclazide (10 days ago). My readings are now around high single digits to low teens when I do the test before eating.

Going from 30 to single digits and numbers in the low teens in only 10 days is absolutely wonderful, well done!

Such a reduction would cause blurry vision in most, is not everyone. Your eyes get used to higher numbers over time and adapt to that, so now it'll take some time for your eyes to adapt to those lower numbers again.
In the meantime, a pair of cheap reading glasses can possibly be of help while waiting for your eyes to settle.

 

[ajbod]

I would have to say you have not drastically reduced carbs at all. Just remember it is the medical professions diet advice, that has bought you to diabetes in the first place.

 

[LD50]

I would have to say you have not drastically reduced carbs at all. Just remember it is the medical professions diet advice, that has bought you to diabetes in the first place.

No, it is 40 odd years of eating the wrong things, with an absurdly high sugar i take that has brought me to diabetes.

 

[ajbod]

What do you refer to as the wrong things.

 

[LD50]

What do you refer to as the wrong things.

Greggs, Pizza, chips, crisps, sweets

 

[ajbod]

Not the best carbs to be eating, but very carby.