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Diabetic retinopathy

C

Creationstepper

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Hi all,
I've just found out I have some background retinopathy. I've been a type 1 for almost 3 years exactly now and am 35 years old.
This is the first complication that i've experienced. Do I need to panic, will I go blind soon ? Anyone else had this,
Thanks,
Jim.
 
Try not to worry too much although I appreciate its easier said than done, from hereon they will monitor your eyes very closely. The only advice I can give is to maintain good bg control and to keep your blood pressure and cholesterol in check, the following is the best site on the web that gives information and advice on Diabetic Retinopathy:

http://medweb.bham.ac.uk/easdec/
 
I had background retinopathy when I was diagnosed 12 years ago. It's never progressed further. My BG has been fairly well controlled but certainly not been perfect at all times.
Ian

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Background retinopathy is not a direct threat to your vision, but to develop it in only 3 years is pretty fast. Are you keeping good control? could you tighten up there?
Hana
 
Just make sure that you have regular eye checks and keep a close eye on your levels. I was told that I had background retinopathy too last year after 18 years. It does make me wonder if there has been a slow progression or if this was genuinely the first time it had been noticed?!


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I've had it for about 5 years, was told it was nothing to worry about, but I've used it as motivation to improve my levels. I don't want to go blind.
 
Hi
I have signs of diabetic retinopathy which was picked up at my screening 2 years ago (been type 1 for 15 years nearly). I was disappointed by this but was told it was a "tiny speck" and so tiny that I shouldn't really worry about it.
Last year my opthalmologist said he couldn't see it and that they can go away but then I had a letter from the main screening people to say it was still there. Now I don't know if they just copied and pasted the letter from the previous year or if it is genuinely still there. Anyway, my cholesterol and HbA1c have since decreased quite a bit so I'm hopeful that I might get a better result at this year's screening...
There is glaucoma in my family so I expect I will suffer with that at some point too - I fear that more than retinopathy probably because I can try to do something about retinopathy.
 
Hi Creation stepper,
I had some background retinopathy diagnosed in 2006 just when I started my pump. They havn't noticed it for the last 2 years thanks to decent control and hopefully it will be the same story in a few months time when I return for another check up. If it's only background I believe it is possible for it to repair itself but good control is a must. A word of warning though if you tighten your control really quickly from say an HbA1c of 9% down to 6% sometimes this can cause your eyes to get worse. I reckon this was why mine was orginally picked up I went from an HbA1c of 14 odd down to 8% in about 2 months. It is a really good kick in the bum to try and sort things out while you can still repair and look after things yourself, no need to panic though just do something about it!
Good Luck, Laura
 
I've been called back for the second time but this time the hospital referred to maculopathy instead of retinopathy so it may have got worse :(

Anyone else been contacted regarding maculopathy?
 
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