Blurry Eyes After Eating

[LeoM]

Good afternoon all. Hope you're all well.

I have had type 1 diabetes for roughly 15 years now and it is relatively well controlled.

Recently I've been getting an issue that I've never had before. Shortly after eating my eye sight will go blurry for 30 mins to 1 hour. This can happen with high sugar/ carb foods but also low sugar/ low carb/ keto foods. Also it can happen when blood sugars are in healthy range and not changing much, it just happens after eating.

With my regular eye tests I pass them regularly.

Is there any reason this may be happening if my eyes are generally okay when not eating?

Please advise, thanks in advance

 

[Lamont D]

Good afternoon all. Hope you're all well.

I have had type 1 diabetes for roughly 15 years now and it is relatively well controlled.

Recently I've been getting an issue that I've never had before. Shortly after eating my eye sight will go blurry for 30 mins to 1 hour. This can happen with high sugar/ carb foods but also low sugar/ low carb/ keto foods. Also it can happen when blood sugars are in healthy range and not changing much, it just happens after eating.

With my regular eye tests I pass them regularly.

Is there any reason this may be happening if my eyes are generally okay when not eating?

Please advise, thanks in advance

I'm not Type one.
But have experienced the symptoms for the past two decades.

The reason why you describe it as such is the rapid rise of BG levels derived by the carbs you have.
And again if you have a rapid drop in BG levels cos of the glucose is either used or insulin is there to give you the energy. The blood vessels in and around the eyes will increase in size, which interferes with the vision.

 

[Old’un]

I have been type 1 for almost fifty years now and I have found that rapidly changing blood glucose levels, and particularly high ones, have an effect on the ability of my eyes to focus. I believe this is down to the fluid levels in the eyes being altered through osmosis. When the sugar levels in the blood are high, fluid will seep back from within the eyes into the bloodstream. This will alter the size of the eyeball and thus affect the ability to focus. All the organs and tissues in our bodies are effectively dehydrated to a degree by surges in blood sugar and this causes significant stress to them. After a while the new sugar levels equalise in the blood and organs and the correct fluid levels are restored. With low blood sugar levels fluid will be drawn into the organs and tissue from the bloodstream by the same process.

 

[GinnyIckle]

Do you get lightheaded at all? Blood pressure is another factor that can change the ability to focus.

I have POTS, so my blood pressure tends to drop after a big meal or a high carb meal, as (basically) the GI system hogs blood for digestion. Then sometimes the adrenaline kicks in, and overcurrects. When my blood pressure is especially ... active(?) ... my vision zooms in snd out of focus. I also get very lightheaded and wobbly and stupid.

Anyway, BP is a possibility.

 

[Hertfordshiremum]

Good afternoon all. Hope you're all well.

I have had type 1 diabetes for roughly 15 years now and it is relatively well controlled.

Recently I've been getting an issue that I've never had before. Shortly after eating my eye sight will go blurry for 30 mins to 1 hour. This can happen with high sugar/ carb foods but also low sugar/ low carb/ keto foods. Also it can happen when blood sugars are in healthy range and not changing much, it just happens after eating.

With my regular eye tests I pass them regularly.

Is there any reason this may be happening if my eyes are generally okay when not eating?

Please advise, thanks in advance

Hi LeoM I am also Type 1 with the same problem for the last 6 years, I have seen endocrinologists and hospital eye clinic who have given me the answers you have from Old un and Lamont. The endo I saw last year told me a small percentage of Type 1’s have their vision effected with high/rapidly changing blood glucose. For me dawn phenomenon and eating even low carb causes spikes so this has effected my driving time and working on the laptop. I’m switching to a pump shortly which I am really hoping will help with this problem, but you are not the only one. Are you on a pump?

 

[Case_]

Blood sugar level certainly has an effect on vision because it affects the fluid content in the lens and as such affects the ability of the eye to focus properly (hence why you should only get a new prescription for glasses once your blood sugar levels are reasonably stable and controlled, because otherwise you might not get the right corrections), but I've always heard of it (and noticed it) as more of a longer term effect, as in changes over the course of at least a day or more, not as rapid changes within tens of minutes.

 

[Jantype1]

This is really interesting and it was blurry vision that was my first sign of diabetes. I was playing tennis and probably my sugar level was decreasing rapidly and my eyes would just not focus!