Can slight changes in eye test be undone

LauraR88

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46
Type of diabetes
Type 1
So just to expand a bit on the above, I am wondering if slight changes in your eye sight that are picked up at your screening can be undone?

The reason I ask is that two years ago I had my usual diabetic eye screening done and I got a letter to say there was slight changes to my eyes but not to worry and to continue treating my diabetes and testing. The following year I had my eyes screened again and they came back fine, however I’ve just had them done again this year and they are saying I have a slight change again?

Now I’m starting to get worried I am going to loose my sight!
 

Boo1979

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NB I am not T1, but I think questions re background retinopathy aree common to all of us with diabetes so my answer is
Yes - background rerinopathy can reverse so eye test results can move about a bit - mine have been oscillating between “mild early changes” and “ completely clear” for the last 22 years. The main thing is to maintain as good blood sugar control as you can to minimise the chances of progression from background retinopathy to proliferative retinopathy ( which is the stage at which it is possible to get bleeds into the eye )
 
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To add to the comments above (which match my understanding and experience), I was once told that our retinal scans are checked with the human eye - what one person thinks is odd, someone else may think is fine.
The retinal screening is not as automated and fool proof as we would like to think.

But the main message is "Don't panic!"
 

Juicyj

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Hi @LauraR88 I am in the same position as you, about 4-5 years I had background retinopathy which went the year after and then came back again last year. It can come and go and for that reason I am not worried, so in answer to your question it can be undone but key to all of this is keeping stable bg levels to ensure it doesn’t progress.
 

Dexterdobe

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So just to expand a bit on the above, I am wondering if slight changes in your eye sight that are picked up at your screening can be undone?

The reason I ask is that two years ago I had my usual diabetic eye screening done and I got a letter to say there was slight changes to my eyes but not to worry and to continue treating my diabetes and testing. The following year I had my eyes screened again and they came back fine, however I’ve just had them done again this year and they are saying I have a slight change again?

Now I’m starting to get worried I am going to loose my sight!
My advice is to keep working to control your blood glucose, but stop worrying about your eyes. I have material damage to one of my eyes, but the eye doctors have treated it very effectively and I can still see well enough to drive without glasses with my bad eye (the other is healthy). Worrying about slight changes won't help.
 

hellobear007

Active Member
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39
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Yes, with good control you can reverse changes to your eyes.
I only have the use of my right eye (left eye is lazy... Takes after its owner lol) and had a bleed in my good eye.
They would not consider treatment such as laser as it was too close to my retina so would risk losing sight in both eyes.
At the time my hba1c was 115!!
Within 2 years, lots of hard work and a much more proactive diabetes team my hba1c was 67 and the bleed reduced significantly.

Don't sweat the small stuff, but keeping good control is key
 

Jollymon

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431
Type of diabetes
Type 1
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Pump
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Not having good chocolate, and not cycling
Higher blood sugar numbers make the fine blood vessels brittle over time. And the eyes have fine blood vessels (like all other parts of you) but you can see what’s going on in the eyes. Managing your numbers so they aren’t so high helps. The hard part is doing it.
 

LauraR88

Well-Known Member
Messages
46
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Thanks everyone, I think what’s making me panic is that by vision has becoming, I don’t know if I’m describing this properly but sort of spotty/blurry (mostly in my right eye). I’m not sure if it’s a silent migraine but I’ve had it a couple of days now. My last Hba1c which was done two weeks ago was 62, although it’s not the best I know it’s not the worst. I just get really worked up about this stuff as I was DKA when I found out I had diabetes and was told I was around two hours away from dying.