Background Retinopathy

[Claire 1972]

Hi

I’m new on here and diagnosed a year ago. Supposed to be controlling with diet but it’s bern hard and I’m not doing so well. Just had my first diabetic eye screening appointment results and it says I’ve got background retinopathy and don’t need to do anything just control blood sugar.

I can’t believe this. It’s scared me to death.

 

[urbanracer]

Hi

I’m new on here and diagnosed a year ago. Supposed to be controlling with diet but it’s bern hard and I’m not doing so well. Just had my first diabetic eye screening appointment results and it says I’ve got background retinopathy and don’t need to do anything just control blood sugar.

I can’t believe this. It’s scared me to death.

Hi and welcome to the forums.

Background retinopathy sounds scary but in reality it can come and go. I've had it a couple of times and was then given the all clear at a later test.

So yes, just work on getting your glucose levels down a bit and you will (probably) be fine.

What are your glucose levels like ?

 

[Ronancastled]

Same here, mine was picked up on my first scan post diagnosis.
Your doctor will have received a more detailed report so perhaps ring the surgery.
I was told by the surgery nurse that I had 2 micro blotches (not a medical term) in one eye.
A year later after getting my levels under control they cleared up.
Use the shock as an opportunity to kick you into gear.

 

[Dr Snoddy]

Likewise, I had background retinopathy when first diagnosed but it disappeared when I got my blood glucose levels under control.

 

[Resurgam]

My first eye test showed background retinopathy, the second one was normal.

 

[Ronancastled]

Supposed to be controlling with diet but it’s bern hard and I’m not doing so well. .

I guess from your username that you were born in '72.
I'm a child of '73 so not so far removed.
The reason it's been picked up is like many of us, you've probably been running high & spiking unknown to yourself years before your diagnosis.
It's more common than you think then to be hit with a complication straight out the gate.
The reason a HbA1c of 48(6.5%) was chosen as the diagnostic level for diabetes cause that is where they noticed a marked increase in prevalence of retinopathy.

So now you know from the posters above that getting your BG in check could result in that background retinopathy clearing up.
Can you tell us why it's "been hard and you're not doing so well ".
We are here to help & many on here have decades of experience.
Is it the low carb diet, poor surgery advice, pressures in life/work . . . we've all been there so share away.

 

[Juicyj]

I've had background a few times now, it comes and goes so each year, when I got my first letter with this I panicked but after talking to others here I realised it was picking up on subtle changes so it can come and go as long as it doesn't progress then there's nothing to worry about, but it's a good incentive to manage glucose control as well as you can.

 

[SOPHIE2006]

Hi

I’m new on here and diagnosed a year ago. Supposed to be controlling with diet but it’s bern hard and I’m not doing so well. Just had my first diabetic eye screening appointment results and it says I’ve got background retinopathy and don’t need to do anything just control blood sugar.

I can’t believe this. It’s scared me to death.

I was exactly the same. My first eye test showed background retinopathy but my next eye test showed no background retinopathy and I believe it was changes to my diet that helped and also my medication I'm on controlled my blood sugars therefor reducing any damage