Diabetic Retinopathy

I can't give you a definitive answer because I'm not a doctor, but my understanding is that, the better you control your levels (and your blood pressure) the less damage you will do. The whole point about the annual screening programme is to provide an early warning of damage from retinopathy, and to implement remedial measures to prevent things getting worse - there's a lot that can be done nowadays to limit the spread of damage and keep your eyesight in good order.

It's extremely common for diabetics to have signs of background retinopathy (I do, too); but if you're just getting tested once a year it sounds as if they're not currently worried about your situation. I can't tell you 100% not to worry but things are a lot better than they used to be and I suspect that someone who lost their sight at 25 had some unusual factors (or couldn't/wouldn't control their bloods) that would account for a fairly rare situation.

Keep calm and carry on

As @jay hay-char says no one can give a definitive answer what the future may hold, but you doing everything right by trying to get your diabetes under control.

Why don't you have a read of the following, it has a wealth of information and advice on diabetic retinopathy:

http://www.diabeticretinopathy.org.uk/Information_for_patients.html

Good luck and best wishes.

Hi @RB1. What does your meter say your average blood glucose is?

RB1 said:

Thanks for the posts i m going for my annual check up next week with my doctor so hoping for an improvement in my Hba1c. hoping for something around the 7% range.

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Fingers crossed

RB1 said:

Hi Guys

I ve been Diabetic now 16 years and i m 28 in a few weeks.I m type 1. My recent Hba1c was 8.4% and usually it s between 8-9. I dont drink
much a small bit maybe at weekends and i work out in the gym 3-4 times a week and have a low carb diet. I recently had my retina eye
screening and the result said i have backround retinopathy(Also had this result last year). I like to think my sugars under control and test myself
like 6 -8 times a day and record it on my diabetes book. I recently saw an interview with a girl who went blind from type 1 diabetes at like 25 and it scared the hell out of me. my doctors say i have my diabetes under control and i m doing good. Is there a chance that with a good Hba1c you can still go
blind at later stages in life? and should i be worried ?

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Hi there RB1 and welcome,

I've been Type 1 now for 34 years (diagnosed when I was 13) and for the last 4/5 years I have had background retinopathy in both eyes which the optical team have kept a really close eye on (no pun intended!)

At my last clinic appointment at the Royal Free Hospital about 3 months ago my eye specialist told me that the retinopathy in one eye was better by about 50% and that in the other eye there was hardly any whatsoever. He showed me the photos of my prior visit and the photos just taken and pointed out where the improvements were.

A couple of weeks later I had an eye test at Specsavers and I was told that my new prescription would be weaker than the glasses I was wearing because my eyesight was better than it was 2 years ago (my last eye test prior)

So long as your eyes haven't been damaged beyond repair from prolonged high blood sugars you should be able to reverse any damage to some extent.

Try not to worry, just carry on doing what your doing by keeping your levels within range. Maybe try to get it down just a little, say between 7 - 8 might show some results. If you could get it down below 7 that should really help !

Don't worry, you seem to be doing well and your Dr's are happy with things also.

Kev

The scientific answer : look at older diabetics, say over 50 with duration of disease more than 10 years, who have pristine retinas. Look at what they do differently. If you are still not convinced that is the right answer, test it prospectively.
Unfortunately, doctors refuse to collect that data. The believe what they do now is perfect.

nickm said:

The scientific answer : look at older diabetics, say over 50 with duration of disease more than 10 years, who have pristine retinas. Look at what they do differently. If you are still not convinced that is the right answer, test it prospectively.
Unfortunately, doctors refuse to collect that data. The believe what they do now is perfect.

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There have been many scientific studies relating to diabetic retinopathy, including prospective studies. Some of them are discussed here:- http://m.care.diabetesjournals.org/content/34/4/1066.full

It's studies like these that have shown us the importance of good blood glucose control in preventing progression of retinopathy. Further studies are being undertaken and will, no doubt, further improve our knowledge of how to prevent retinopathy as a complication of diabetes.

My hba1c was 9.2 last year and now it's 7.2. I just had my eye test and they said I had background retinopathy. But I don't need no treatment for me. But it's still worrying me. So I will see what my diabetes nurse will say. And try not to think about it

claire_786 said:

My hba1c was 9.2 last year and now it's 7.2. I just had my eye test and they said I had background retinopathy. But I don't need no treatment for me. But it's still worrying me. So I will see what my diabetes nurse will say. And try not to think about it

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Well done in bringing your HbA1c down - you're doing the best thing to prevent future complications. Try not to worry too much - only worry enough to keep up the good work and to make sure you attend any future eye screenings. The lower the HbA1c, the lower the risk of complications but the higher the risk of hypos. It's worth discussing with your DSN whether you can safely bring your HbA1c down even further - it depends on your circumstances.

Dark Horse said:

Well done in bringing your HbA1c down - you're doing the best thing to prevent future complications. Try not to worry too much - only worry enough to keep up the good work and to make sure you attend any future eye screenings. The lower the HbA1c, the lower the risk of complications but the higher the risk of hypos. It's worth discussing with your DSN whether you can safely bring your HbA1c down even further - it depends on your circumstances.

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They want it down to 7% so I'm nearly there

claire_786 said:

They want it down to 7% so I'm nearly there

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Great, well done, and keep it up!