anyone here blind or have serious problems with eyes?

[diva19871987]

Hi, i would like to hear from other diabetics there history of retinoapthy. I have background which i understand is mild but has anyone else's progressed or has anyone even lost there sight altogether? How long have you been diabetic for and at what rate did the retinoathy get worse? Has anyone's reversed retinopathy or is it there for good once you have it. If you have background retinopathy how long has it stayed fairly mild if at all?

 

[Elc1112]

Hiya I've had background retinopathy for the past six years. It doesn't seem to have progressed, thankfully. I had my last screening on friday and am waiting for the results.

Em

 

[diva19871987]

Hiya I've had background retinopathy for the past six years. It doesn't seem to have progressed, thankfully. I had my last screening on friday and am waiting for the results.

Em

Can I be very cheeky and ask how long you have had diabetes? Do you have type 1 or 2? Do you have any vision problems with the background retinopathy say for instance eye floaters which make it difficult to focus on things? I have a hugh eye floater that is right on my field of vision and its really worrying me now. I know everyone can get them but it seems a coincidence I got it after I was diagnosed with background like yourself.

 

[Robinredbreast]

Hi there There are a few people on here who have had, or are still having eye problems, I am one of them, but its only in the right eye and I have had laser treatment. I hope others will be along soon to help you out. With best wishes RRB

 

[Elc1112]

You're not being cheeky at all! Ask away

I've been diabetic since I was six. I'm just about to celebrate my 21st birthday for the ninth time, so I'll let you work out how many years that is I'm type 1 and take levemir and Novorapid.

Haven't noticed any changes with my eyes. No floaters or anything. I get blurred vision I my sugars are high, but I believe this is pretty normal.

I usually have my eyes checked every six months, but after my check in January I was asked to come back in six months. This scared me a bit, but we'll wait and see what the results say.

How about you? How long have you been diabetic? And how long ago were you told you had background retinopathy? My thinking is that, as long as you catch it early and they monitor it carefully, theyvan keep things at bay

Em x

 

[Tracey69]

Hi Diva19871987 and welcome,
I am a T1 diabetic on Novarapid and Lantus solar star. I was diagnosed when i was six, and this year i have been diabetic 37 yrs.
Both my eyes are lasered. In my left eye i have had a detached retina, my left eye is my worst eye. I can only see a little out of the left eye. There is no room for any more laser in the left eye, i also have macula oedema, glucoma and am awaiting to be told whether i need to have the vitreous jelly removed in the left eye. The jelly was being removed because my eye (left) kept bleeding and it had got stuck in the Jelly, i am also getting flashing lights in the left eye. Right eye i only have central vision, but other than that the right eye is stable.
I had my licience revoked three years ago which was a shock.
I had a check up in july 2012 and the consultant said the jelly looked clean and their was no fresh bleeds, so hopefully the top consultant will say no op needed.
If you can keep your BS stable this will help maintain your sight and any other complications.
Please let us know how you get on.
Take care
Tracey

 

[diva19871987]

You're not being cheeky at all! Ask away

I've been diabetic since I was six. I'm just about to celebrate my 21st birthday for the ninth time, so I'll let you work out how many years that is I'm type 1 and take levemir and Novorapid.

Haven't noticed any changes with my eyes. No floaters or anything. I get blurred vision I my sugars are high, but I believe this is pretty normal.

I usually have my eyes checked every six months, but after my check in January I was asked to come back in six months. This scared me a bit, but we'll wait and see what the results say.

How about you? How long have you been diabetic? And how long ago were you told you had background retinopathy? My thinking is that, as long as you catch it early and they monitor it carefully, theyvan keep things at bay

Em x

Thank you for you reply. I was diagnosed 12 years ago when i was 12. Had terrible control for years and was diagnosed with background retinopathy in 2010. It just seems so worrying that I have it after only 12 years, I read somewhere that most retinopathy is seen after 20 years so im thinking I must be very bad if I have it after only 12 years? I just cant get it out my head that one day I will be blind and I just dont know how to cope with this as a possiblity in the future. .

 

[diva19871987]

Hi Diva19871987 and welcome,
I am a T1 diabetic on Novarapid and Lantus solar star. I was diagnosed when i was six, and this year i have been diabetic 37 yrs.
Both my eyes are lasered. In my left eye i have had a detached retina, my left eye is my worst eye. I can only see a little out of the left eye. There is no room for any more laser in the left eye, i also have macula oedema, glucoma and am awaiting to be told whether i need to have the vitreous jelly removed in the left eye. The jelly was being removed because my eye (left) kept bleeding and it had got stuck in the Jelly, i am also getting flashing lights in the left eye. Right eye i only have central vision, but other than that the right eye is stable.
I had my licience revoked three years ago which was a shock.
I had a check up in july 2012 and the consultant said the jelly looked clean and their was no fresh bleeds, so hopefully the top consultant will say no op needed.
If you can keep your BS stable this will help maintain your sight and any other complications.
Please let us know how you get on.
Take care
Tracey

Can I ask if the laser restores your sight or just stops it becoming worse? how many years after you was diagnosed with diabetes did the retinopathy start? What has you control of sugar levels been like past and present?

 

[Robinredbreast]

Hi my eye problems started last year, late November, after 22 years. My sugars had been up and down, my hospital DSN has virtually stopped the hypos which was causing the problems and my sugar levels are more stable now, but a bit higher, but this is just for 3 months and she said not to worry about it, all she wants is me to have stable blood sugars. The first part of this year was very very difficult and I was having terrible problems, but I am trying to be optimistic and when I visited my eye consultant a few weeks ago, no laser treatment So it seems to be looking good. Good luck with everything. Best wishes RRB

 

[SouthernGeneral6512]

Hi Diva19871987 and welcome,
I am a T1 diabetic on Novarapid and Lantus solar star. I was diagnosed when i was six, and this year i have been diabetic 37 yrs.
Both my eyes are lasered. In my left eye i have had a detached retina, my left eye is my worst eye. I can only see a little out of the left eye. There is no room for any more laser in the left eye, i also have macula oedema, glucoma and am awaiting to be told whether i need to have the vitreous jelly removed in the left eye. The jelly was being removed because my eye (left) kept bleeding and it had got stuck in the Jelly, i am also getting flashing lights in the left eye. Right eye i only have central vision, but other than that the right eye is stable.
I had my licience revoked three years ago which was a shock.
I had a check up in july 2012 and the consultant said the jelly looked clean and their was no fresh bleeds, so hopefully the top consultant will say no op needed.
If you can keep your BS stable this will help maintain your sight and any other complications.
Please let us know how you get on.
Take care
Tracey

If you don't mind me asking racey how many times had your eyes been lasered before you lost your licence? I have to admit I'm a little sad about possibly losing mine after they are lasered

 

[Elc1112]

Diva,

Make sure you go to all your screenings and they will pick up any further changes, hopefully before they effect your sight.

My control was awful as a teenager and, if I'm perfectly honest, I'm suprised there weren't signs of retinopathy earlier on. My sugars levels are much better now, but still not perfect. I work long hours and end up doing a lot of work-related travel. It can be hard to keep my levels within the target range!

The thought of losing my sight absolutely terrifies me. I've already got background retinopathy and I am determined to keep it at bay by controlling my sugars levels etc.

You might think 12 years is early to get retinopathy, but I disagree. 20 years might be an average but everyone's circumstances are different. You grew up with diabetes and I have read a few places that the teenage years are the most difficult to control - I definitely second that! just because you have background signs, does not mean you will lose your sight.

Em

 

[SamJB]

I've been diabetic 8 years and had some background retinopathy from around 5 years. Up until that point my HbA1c had been in the high 7s or 8s. I've brought my HbA1c down to 7.0 and whilst I still have background retinopathy, they could only find 3 spots in total, whereas before it was about 6. So tightening up your sugar levels will help you to get rid of the background retinopathy.

The optician said that background retniopathy is ok, but it should definitely be a wake up call to controll your sugar levels better.

 

[diva19871987]

The worry is still constanly with me and I cant get it out my head now. Keep thinking the worse and dont know how to stop it. Its really effecting my mental health because i cant stop thinking the worst. Ive been searching over and over on the web about retinopathy and i think its just making me feel worse.

Im really kicking myself because im still having bad control. How did people diagnosed with retinopathy cope with the thought of going blind? Did it cause depression or mental health problems because of the worrying?

My doctor has put me on amitriptaline and fluoextine to help me sleep because im up all night worrying and searching the web constantly to see what i can do about the retinopathy. Please help its controlling my life right now!! :cry:

 

[SamJB]

Diva, background retinopathy is ok. It doesn't affect your vision. My optician says its ok. The best thing you can do is control your sugar levels better if you're worried. That is the only cure for it.