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Eye problem advice

chard

Active Member
Messages
31
Hi Everyone,
I have been type 1 for 39 years and have had regular eye checks. My last check was 2 weeks ago and the doctor said that I have mild diabetic changes but considering the years being a diabetic she was pleased with my condition.
10 days later I woke up one morning having blurred vision in my left eye and what I can only describe as swirly ink lines in my vision. Needless to say I panicked and went to Aand E as I was told to do if I ever had this kind of thing happen to me.
They told me to go home and wait for an appointment from the eye clinic without even examining me so I ignored them and went straight round to the eye clinic for advise
I was examined and I have to wait 3 weeks for orange dye to be injected and a photograph to be taken of the back of my eye to determine the problem.
I really want to know what happens next and if the blood will disperse. My vision is becoming more blurry and I was hoping that this is because the black inky lines are breaking down
earlier this year I was told that I may have cancer and I coped really well with this news. Luckily, after a biopsy, it was nothing serious but this episode is worrying me to death
Any advice would be greatly appreciated especially regarding the worsening blurry eye thing
The doctor did say that it may not be related to diabetes at all
 
Really sorry this has happened to you Chard. It does sound like you've had a bleed, usually the blood disperses to the bottom of the eye and disappears altogether , it can take several weeks for it to do so but in extreme cases a vitrectomy has to be performed.

The dye will be for an Angiogram where they look at the retina and the blood vessels surrounding it, it's painless procedure but the dye can make you feel a little sick but this soon passes over, in the mean time try not to do any heavy lifting and as this should be avoided when a bleed occurs and diabetic retinopathy is active.

The following website has loads of useful information about diabetic retinopathy:

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

Best wishes!
 
 
I really appreciate your quick reply.
I have a manual job that requires pulling and lifting heavy cables. I may take a week off to avoid any more issues.
Typically my left eye is the better of the 2 so the world is a blur without glasses now but that's an age thing
Thank you
 
I thought that blood in the eye was the situation where we were supposed to rush for hospital for emergency laser treatment? That's what I was told when I was diagnosed and had my 20 minute education session, anyway. As far as I can remember.
 
When I first started having retinal bleeds I assumed that it was an absolute emergency. I couldn't believe it when the opthalmology A and E told me to wait for 4 weeks for the blood to clear. The bleeds disperse into the vitreous jelly of the eyeball and appear as big dark smudges. The blood needs to clear to get a good view of the retina, other tests are also used such as an angiogram where fluorescent dye is injected to illuminate any specific problems in the vessels of the retina. If you have numerous bleeds the vitreous jelly is removed and replaced with saline, this disperses any future bleeds more quickly. I started having laser treatment about 6 weeks after my the first few bleeds - I had been a complete idiot with my control and skipped appointments - treatment is usually started before you reach this scenario.

For the poor sufferer of retinal bleeds it feels like an absolutely terrifying emergency however it is treated initially with time, very difficult to take when it is your sight that's affected!
 
Spiker said:
I thought that blood in the eye was the situation where we were supposed to rush for hospital for emergency laser treatment? That's what I was told when I was diagnosed and had my 20 minute education session, anyway. As far as I can remember.
Click to expand...
That's exactly what I was led to believe so when I woke up with this happening I raced to A and E expecting immediate treatment. Even after I came back from the eye clinic I was shocked that I have to wait till 29th may. I was also told that it may bleed again..which it has.!!
 
Thanks for the info its very helpful I hope your eyesight is ok. I had the'' its never gonna happen to me'' attitude and it certainly bit me on the **** and changed my outlook in an instant.. good luck for the future
 
Spiker said:
I thought that blood in the eye was the situation where we were supposed to rush for hospital for emergency laser treatment? That's what I was told when I was diagnosed and had my 20 minute education session, anyway. As far as I can remember.
Click to expand...


No, in most cases they will wait for the blood to disperse before laser treatment, if the bleed is severe and occurs after previous events then they will consider a vitrectomy, a vitrectomy doesn't stop retinopathy in its tracks as it just clears the debris in the eye, often if the gel is sticky and pulling on the retina they will speed-up the urgency of the operation.
 
It looks like flowerpot has the same consultant as me but thanks noblehead for clarifying what is a terrifying experience first time around. ill be sure to let you know the outcome of my ''bleed''
I really appreciate your info
 
No problem Chard, just be sure to keep your bp and cholesterol levels in check as this will help matters, the website that I linked to above explains why this is important when people develop diabetic retinopathy.
 
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