Anyone else have fluctuating eyesight prescription with high BS?

[LucySW]

I'm in my first week of knowing that I have T2D (diagnosed suddenly a week ago after a blood test to see if I was short on Vitamin D - huge shock). I dropped carbs immediately and have been eating smaller portions just because I was so motivated to get on with it, and my BS is seemingly down from 16 to (at times) 11, which has to be good. But I want to ask about other people's experience of fluctating eyesight.

Eyesight deteriorated suddenly over (say) Feb to May. I'm short-sighted and all my prescriptions just got worse. (I'm 55 so have multifocals.) So I got some new glasses which I picked up three weeks ago and fitted then. But now, even in the eight days since I started eating a bit less and OD-ing on salad and veg, the new glasses are too strong, by which I mean I don't seem to need such a strong prescription, and it's going back towards the old ones. Today I'm working at my desk with the old computer glasses.

Now this seems like good news to me. I'm hoping this means that my lenses are recovering and that it means my BS is on the way down. My question is, any others who've experienced something like this? Or eyesight getting worse/better/worse/better for T2D reasons?

55, sedentary job but not very fat, diagnosed a week ago with 16 mmol/L, on lo carbs + ex+ Metformin working up to 2g/day tho not there yet.

Lucy

 

[jack412]

yep, your eye sight is all over the place as your BG went up before and has now come down, get new glasses in a few months after everything settles.. or cheepest ones from specsaver if you need something now

 

[Andy12345]

Hi, yes it is good news and quite common for people to firstly have blurry eyesight and also for them to recover very quickly not so good because your glasses are new and (hopefully) will be useless, best of luck

 

[LucySW]

Dear Andy and Jack,

I don't mind about the hopefully useless new glasses. I'm just wondering if I dare see this as a good sign .. Do the eyes really recover?

 

[jack412]

just one thing, that 11 is better but too high, I know it's early days so it isn't a worry and it takes time to come down, but it needs more work
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045524.php

yep, the high BG swells the lens, normal the swelling goes

Diabetic Eye Disease Causes - eMedicineHealth
www.emedicinehealth.com › ... › diabetes center › diabetes az list

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by Dr. Andrew Dahl
This temporary blurring is because the sugar in the blood can diffuse into the lens of the eye and cause it to swell, thus changing the focal point of the eye and ...

 

[Bev18]

Yes it will change again, mine did, went from short sighted to longsighted for 2 weeks, now back to short sighted and needing to wear my glasses to see the writing on the telly. It's very odd.

My blood was 28 and when it reduced to about 16 is when I noticed it more having gone on insulin to reduce Bg

 

[this is too difficult]

my eyesight went so bad I thought I was going blind. A few days later my sight was better than it has been for years.

 

[Bev18]

You would think researchers would tap into this and see if it could be made into a safe permanent treatment that would be cheaper than laser treatment. Opticians won't like it tho.

 

[this is too difficult]

I got my eyes tested a couple of years ago. When I went back to get the glasses I could not see through them. They tested me again and told me the prescription was wrong. Went back a week later to get glasses and could not see through them. They tried to get angry at me as if I was wasting their time.
I told them to get lost and bought some off the shelf reading glasses.
I am thinking there was a sign there they should have picked up on.

 

[Bev18]

I got my eyes tested a couple of years ago. When I went back to get the glasses I could not see through them. They tested me again and told me the prescription was wrong. Went back a week later to get glasses and could not see through them. They tried to get angry at me as if I was wasting their time.
I told them to get lost and bought some off the shelf reading glasses.
I am thinking there was a sign there they should have picked up on.

Definitely they should have, it was an optician that told me to go to the doctors when my diabetes started originally while on holiday in Turkey, didn't even think about the thirst issues because it was so hot there. But I noticed my eyesight deteriorated daily whilst away.

 

[LucySW]

For the last three days I've been wearing my old glasses, but today (after hamburger sans bun/ketchup at a grill out) no good, I'll try my new ones. Worry a bit about these things - sight change started c Jan./Feb., does that mean I'm at risk of cataracts? My BG going down beautifully now, lower every day, once Metformin kicks in I'm hoping for great things. But I don't know how long I had serious high BG for, and I'll never know will I?





Newbie, 55, from London, living in Denmark, 3 children in teens.
Diagnosed 13/6/14 with fasting BG level 16 :-(
After one week, fasting BG 10/11
LCHF + exercise + Metformin working up to 2g/day, + metering and food diary

 

[Andy12345]

hi, the burger bun (sans?) is that a normal bun? ie. bread? and is the ketchup norml ketchup? if so thats sugar (carbs) any effect your hoping the metformin will have will be undone by eating the carbs im afraid

 

[LucySW]

No, I didn't have the burger bun or ketchup. No carb-full food has passed my lips since diagnosis.


Newbie. Age 55, from London living in Denmark, 3 children in teens.
Shock diagnosis T2 13 June 2014 with fasting BG level 16 :-(
LCHF + ex + Metformin to 2g/day
Metering, food diary

 

[Andy12345]

ahhh sorry i misunderstood

 

[Andy12345]

you may never know how long youve had high bg but you will know if youve damaged your eyesight, the damage if done i believe is specific and can be tested for, if your in the UK they should be testing your eyes soon

 

[Andy12345]

dang, im gonna shut up, im obviously having bad day, ive just seen your signature

 

[LucySW]

No don't shut up Andy, its so great to be part of a conversation on this forum. Diagnosis still at times a bit overwhelming for me. Mainly I feel hopeful and feel that things are clear, fingers crossed - sometimes I feel some catastrophe is waiting around the corner to flatten me.

I just got my first 7 result! After 20 mins HARD ex - will test again after an ht to see what happens next.

On eyes, I'm wondering about the lenses swelling and contracting - I read that could eventually cause cataracts ...


Newbie T2. Age 55, from London living in Denmark, 3 children in teens.
Diagnosed T2 13 June 2014 with fasting BG level 16 :-(
LCHF with metering + ex + Metformin: from 13 June 2014

 

[LucySW]

my eyesight went so bad I thought I was going blind. A few days later my sight was better than it has been for years.

When did it settle down, This? I'm only ten days into diagnosed T2D but, unbelievable as it seems to me, the eyesight is changing with every day. Two days ago I was using the previous prescription, but this morning even those aren't good any more and I'm driving without glasses because I can see better without!! This is madness ... I've had glasses since I was ten!

This is all just on the basis of cutting carbs completely since diagnosis. My BG has gone down from 14 last week on the meter to 6.7 to 9.5 yesterday, that has to be good doesn't it

Tell me more abt what happened with you? Where did your eyes settle row and how long did it take?


Newbie T2. Age 55, from London living in Denmark, 3 children in teens.
Diagnosed T2 13 June 2014 with fasting BG level 16 :-(
LCHF with metering + ex + Metformin: from 13 June 2014

 

[Mazzer]

Hi Lucy, having high bg does affect your eyes thats how I was diagnosed. My eyesight was really blurry, I believe it is caused by glucose build up in the fluid surrounding the eyes and changes their shape.

My optician didn't pick up on the classic signs either, having told him that my vision was blurred, I was seeing starburts and halo's around street lights. When I got my new glasses they didn't help at all, so went to see the doc. I took my glasses back once my eyes went back to normal and got replacements free of charge.

However, the good news is that it is not permanent and as soon as you get your bg under control, eyesight returns to normal although it can take up to six weeks. Providing you maintain good bg levels your eyesight should be fine, but make sure you get them checked, which your doc or dsn should arrange for you and then once a year.

Hope this has helped.

Marilyn x

 

[LucySW]

That's fantastic to hear Marilyn. Did you end up with roughly the same prescription?

You should see my bag today - last year's multifocals and sunglasses, some old shop sunglasses, and last year's laptop glasses !! I hope I can see the computer today!!

Flabbergasted


Newbie T2. Age 55, from London living in Denmark, 3 children in teens.
Diagnosed T2 13 June 2014 with fasting BG level 16 :-(
LCHF with metering + ex + Metformin: from 13 June 2014