Hi, has anyone else experienced changes to their vision because of T2? I have a dramatic reduction in my myopia after recent diagnosis but GP advised not to get eyes tested yet. What are you supposed to do?
Eyesight
- Thread starter BarryH99
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LittleGreyCat
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Diet drinks - the artificial sweeteners taste vile.
Having to forswear foods I have loved all my life.
Trying to find low carb meals when eating out.
Eyesight does change as control improves.
You are supposed to wait a while until your BG is stable(ish) to allow your eyes to adjust to the new levels, before ordering a new prescription.
You are supposed to wait a while until your BG is stable(ish) to allow your eyes to adjust to the new levels, before ordering a new prescription.
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Hi and welcome
Yes, at @LittleGreyCat says, our eyes can be affected by raised blood glucose. This can happen slowly, or quickly, and it is rather disorienting when it happens.
As your blood glucose levels fall and are brought under control your vision should revert to how it was before they rose, but it can take weeks. Of course, it is a process of adjustment and may be very inconvenient, but the alternative is to turn up to an opticians and end up paying possibly £100s for a pair of glasses that will only be used for a few weeks. In addition, if your eyes are adjusting fairly rapidly, you may find that the prescription you were given on the day of the eye test could be out of date by the time the glasses arrive.
If it is just a matter of reading glasses, then cheap over the counter ones can fill the gap.
For distance viewing, it isn't that simple.
Yes, at @LittleGreyCat says, our eyes can be affected by raised blood glucose. This can happen slowly, or quickly, and it is rather disorienting when it happens.
As your blood glucose levels fall and are brought under control your vision should revert to how it was before they rose, but it can take weeks. Of course, it is a process of adjustment and may be very inconvenient, but the alternative is to turn up to an opticians and end up paying possibly £100s for a pair of glasses that will only be used for a few weeks. In addition, if your eyes are adjusting fairly rapidly, you may find that the prescription you were given on the day of the eye test could be out of date by the time the glasses arrive.
If it is just a matter of reading glasses, then cheap over the counter ones can fill the gap.
For distance viewing, it isn't that simple.
It is implied in what you say but as control worsens so also does eyesight have the potential to change.
Personally I can see a change in my vision when my bloods are higher than used to, it can happen within a day for me. But I am pretty sensitive to eyesight changes anyway in myself. I have quite high astigmatism in both eyes and already wear corrective lenses, if @BarryH99 already has glasses then it can make it a bit harder for using reading glasses temporarily but they could be an option as has been said but getting checked now whilst in the process of change can lead to wrong prescription as may easily change more
In Response
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The way it was explained to me (albeit, probably a bit simplified) is ...
When we have high blood sugars, our body does its best to get rid of the excess sugar. This is the reason why frequent urinating is a common symptom of diabetes. Our bodies find all sorts of ways to get rid of those excess carbs - tooth decay could be another symptom when our saliva because more sugary. We even secrete sugar through our tears. Sugary tears have a different refractive index to salty tears so our eyes adapt to focus through sugary tears. With type 2, the symptoms come on slowly and our eyes adapt slowly so we don't notice the change until we do something about our blood sugars. Then our tears start to loose the sugar and our eyes need to adapt again. This takes time and we can experience blurred vision during this optical adaption.
This does not mean you should avoid opticians if you think you have other problems with your eyes. It means that it is not advisable to buy expensive glasses during the change as your prescription will not be valid for long. Some people find cheap ready readers help during this transition.
When we have high blood sugars, our body does its best to get rid of the excess sugar. This is the reason why frequent urinating is a common symptom of diabetes. Our bodies find all sorts of ways to get rid of those excess carbs - tooth decay could be another symptom when our saliva because more sugary. We even secrete sugar through our tears. Sugary tears have a different refractive index to salty tears so our eyes adapt to focus through sugary tears. With type 2, the symptoms come on slowly and our eyes adapt slowly so we don't notice the change until we do something about our blood sugars. Then our tears start to loose the sugar and our eyes need to adapt again. This takes time and we can experience blurred vision during this optical adaption.
This does not mean you should avoid opticians if you think you have other problems with your eyes. It means that it is not advisable to buy expensive glasses during the change as your prescription will not be valid for long. Some people find cheap ready readers help during this transition.
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@BarryH99
I knew I had seen a couple of excellent posts on this subject recently by @Dark Horse
And here they are.
This link will take you to his first post
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/blurred-vision.181217/#post-2390875
and directly beneath that is a useful study on the subject.
Hope that helps
I knew I had seen a couple of excellent posts on this subject recently by @Dark Horse
And here they are.
This link will take you to his first post
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/blurred-vision.181217/#post-2390875
and directly beneath that is a useful study on the subject.
Hope that helps
Thanks everyone for the information. My levels have stabilised at normal for a couple of weeks but my eyesight hasn’t reverted. My diabetes nurse said there’s no telling when it will be normal again.
I was diagnosed type 2 in Jan. My first noticeable symptom was my long distance vision deteriorating quite significantly (promptly followed by increased thirst/urination).
When confirmed, I was put on Metformin. This sent my vision the other way, and my short distance vision was greatly reduced.
This possibly happening was something my Doctor didn't mention to me, and when I raised it with them, they said it was unlikely due to the Metformin. I now know this to be wrong.
Due to my work, and to continue working in had to have an eye test and buy new, temporary glasses.
Fortunately my vision is back to normal now, but at the time it was very stressful.
When confirmed, I was put on Metformin. This sent my vision the other way, and my short distance vision was greatly reduced.
This possibly happening was something my Doctor didn't mention to me, and when I raised it with them, they said it was unlikely due to the Metformin. I now know this to be wrong.
Due to my work, and to continue working in had to have an eye test and buy new, temporary glasses.
Fortunately my vision is back to normal now, but at the time it was very stressful.
luceeloo
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I went from wearing glasses for short-sightedness all of the time, to just needing reading glasses for computer work (for slight long-sightedness). It took around 7 years for my eyesight to settle out, and in that time I've had a few different prescriptions as they slowly changed. My blood sugar is now at the best level it has ever been, and whenever I put my reading glasses on, I end up absent-mindedly taking them off again... which suggests to me that I don't need them at all.
DCB 2
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When I first diagnosed my eye vision was out of wack. After using readers as a stop gap the vision returned to normal after getting my blood sugars under control. Just give your self time for eyes to readjust. In my case it was 3 months after getting my blood sugars normal my eye sight went back to normal. The have been holding steady for three years,
