Anyone else get disturbed vision with hypo's?

[Andy_Harrison_UK]

I have noticed that when my blood sugar gets to about 4.2 mmol/l I can't see properly. I start to get dark patches which gets worse the lower my blood sugar falls. As soon as it rises above that figure, my vision clears and all is well.

Is that usual/common?

Should I be worried?

Andrew

 

[the_anticarb]

If I wake up in the night with a hypo I often get these strange hallucinations, hard to describe but its like there are rays of light coming out of everything! It doesn't seem to happen with the daytime ones probably because I can feel them coming on. I think when your brain is very low on glucose it can do strange things, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[PenfoldAPD]

Tunnel vision is a symptom of hypo I understand. Suffered it a few weeks ago and thought I was just tired. Maybe you are talking about tunnel vision @the_anticarb ... I also get lights moving around in my vision. All clears when I'm up and 'with it'

 

[Dark Horse]

Firstly, are you taking any medications which could cause hypoglycaemia such as insulin or sulphonylureas? If so, the dark patches are likely to be due to insufficient glucose reaching the nerve cells in the retina.

How often do you have these episodes and how long do they last for? If it's once a month for just a few minutes, it probably isn't a problem. If it's every day and lasts an hour then it is theoretically possible that it could be. It would be wise to take active steps to increase your blood glucose quite quickly when you experience these symptoms by taking the usual oral treatments for hypoglycaemia such as glucose tablets or drinks.

 

[azure]

Yes, I get that - it's like blotches in my vision like you might get after coming in from being in the sun.

 

[BooJewels]

I went through a period of hypos last month and when I get below about 3.6 the light takes on a distinctly green cast, then the edges of my vision turns black - presumably the tunnel vision mentioned - and that progressively closes in and presumably would lead to me totally blacking out if not treated - it feels like I'm going at that point.

As a T2, has your BG come down drastically recently - because it might be a false hypo - when your BG drops a chunk, it takes a little while for your body to get used to the new lower levels and it goes into a sort of panic at higher levels than a true hypo. False hypos, in my experience and others have reported the same, give rise to more dramatic symptoms than an actual true hypo, which probably wouldn't happen at 4.2. I'd personally know I was getting low at that point, but wouldn't treat it as a hypo, I'd just eat something.

Edited to add: pop some more details about yourself in either your profile or your sig so that we know a bit more about you and can therefore help you better.

 

[himtoo]

yeah I get that starting at 2.7 ( high end) down to 2.2 ( low end )
at 2.7 it is a green light in the middle of my vision and at 2.2 my eyes get a bit blurry.

below 2.0 my sight is fine though ( although probably not my brain -- LOL )

 

[moodwife]

Ah yes! I'm Type 1 on insulin for 23years and I get the rainbow warning signs once I get below 2mmols it's one of the more reliable hypo awareness signs and is usually accompanied by everything round me looking like a random collage of walls and furnishings

 

[dancer]

The only visual disturbance I've had is double vision. I remember, many years ago, lying in bed in the labour suite, seeing 2 hearts flashing on the foetal heart monitor. When the sister came in, I told her this and she told me to eat the biscuits on my locker. She'd told me not to eat them a couple of hours before, until we were sure baby was fine (after the first part of the induction process, the night before giving birth). . . of course, she didn't think of checking my blood sugar!

 

[kevinfitzgerald]

Yes when I am hypo a number of things happen to my vision. I seem to become very light sensitive and everything seems to be far brighter than it actually is or things seem to omit sharp rays of light !

I also can not focus on anything but along with this I can not keep my head still and it jerks.

Sometimes when low it can seem that I am looking in negative. Black and white but still with this strong brightness comming from everything I am trying to look at.

I also get double and sometimes triple vision. Not good when your in the toilet !