background retinopathy help please

barakiah

Active Member
Messages
27
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
hi there I would like to speak to anyone that has any knowledge or experience of background retinopathy does anyone know if it can go away or reverse it or go into remission has anyones background retinopathy gone away without treatment.
 

dancer

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,362
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Several years ago I received a letter saying I had signs of diabetic changes to my right eye. I was shocked and spoke to my optician who'd done my eye test shortly before my retinal screening was done. She looked at her photos and said there was nothing there. She suggested that slight changes could have happened due to the bad infection I'd had requiring antibiotics, and, if this was the case, then at next year's screening everything could be back to normal. The following year I got the all clear at my screening.

All you can do is try to have good blood sugars so that no more changes take place. Try not to worry too much, as stress won't help your blood sugars at all. If it's only slight changes you have, maybe you'll be lucky like me. Good luck!
 

Mr_Pot

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,573
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I had my first Diabetic Eye Screening April 2016 and the letter said "some background retinopathy". A year later April 2017 the the next screening result was ""normal". I have been following a LCHF diet and keeping my HbA1c below 40 in between.
 

barakiah

Active Member
Messages
27
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Several years ago I received a letter saying I had signs of diabetic changes to my right eye. I was shocked and spoke to my optician who'd done my eye test shortly before my retinal screening was done. She looked at her photos and said there was nothing there. She suggested that slight changes could have happened due to the bad infection I'd had requiring antibiotics, and, if this was the case, then at next year's screening everything could be back to normal. The following year I got the all clear at my screening.

All you can do is try to have good blood sugars so that no more changes take place. Try not to worry too much, as stress won't help your blood sugars at all. If it's only slight changes you have, maybe you'll be lucky like me. Good luck!
 

barakiah

Active Member
Messages
27
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
thankyou for replying im hoping my next test will be clear too through the good control I have had and still doing, can I ask you do you know if a person can have another eye test for the background retinopathy or do I have to wait a year to find out could you private message me thanking you
 

Mr_Pot

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,573
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
thankyou for replying im hoping my next test will be clear too through the good control I have had and still doing, can I ask you do you know if a person can have another eye test for the background retinopathy or do I have to wait a year to find out could you private message me thanking you
Most opticians can do a retinal scan but as background retinopathy can take some time to clear you might as well wait a year. It is not a sight risk if it doesn't get worse.
 

Dark Horse

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,840
thankyou for replying im hoping my next test will be clear too through the good control I have had and still doing, can I ask you do you know if a person can have another eye test for the background retinopathy or do I have to wait a year to find out could you private message me thanking you
Some background retinopathy changes can clear up within a few weeks. However, some other background retinopathy changes (microaneurysms) tend to be visible for a few years after they have formed. Thus, even if no new diabetic retinopathy changes occurred the screening result may still show background retinopathy until the microaneurysm(s) has/have disappeared.

Diabetic eye screening is designed to look for sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy, it is not designed to monitor improvements in background retinopathy which does not affect sight and does not need treatment.