Eye Test

[Daks]

So 10 weeks after diagnosis I finally got a letter instructing me to book an eye test, up until now I have always had 20/20 vision - I think I have had some eye damage as I can no longer read small print despite now having good control of my bloods, and more than often a little blurry, again despite having good control.

I guess I would just like some feedback, what to expect at the exam and just any other information / experience others can give or have.

Thanks in advance folks.

 

[Charles Robin]

Hi Daks, you're doing the right thing going for the test. It's very common for people to experience blurry vision after they are diagnosed. This is caused from fluctuations in blood sugars. The good news is that this should be temporary, and stabilise as your blood sugars do. It has nothing to do with the more serious problems that can arise. The most common form of eye damage for diabetics is known as retinopathy. This usually occurs after a number of years poorly managing diabetes. The small blood vessels in the retina become weak over time, and begin to rupture. In the early stages this is actually symptomless. The body tries to heal by growing new blood vessels. Unfortunately, these grow where they shouldn't, and are weaker than they should be, which exacerbates the problem. Eventually, retinopathy can lead to blindness. The good news is that blindness is now extremely rare. A lot of diabetics get what's known as 'background retinopathy.' This is where some damage has occurred, but no treatment is needed. There's plenty of evidence that with good control of blood sugars, there's no reason someone with background retinopathy should ever experience loss of vision. In late stages, there are a number of effective treatments which can halt retinopathy in its tracks. However, treatments will only prove effective if good blood sugar control is achieved.

Obviously it's best to get checked regularly for any signs of changes. For diabetics, retinal scans should be a routine thing, done once a year. It's als a good idea to get a regular eye check each year, as the retinal scan does not look for other problems.

 

[Charles Robin]

I should probably also mention that the test itself is fairly straightforward. It's required that you don't drive to your appointment. This is because they put drops in your eyes, which will make your vision very blurry for a few hours. This is to enlarge your pupils, so that they can get a good photo of the backs of your eyes. They use a fancy machine to take the photos, it's completely painless although the drops can sting a little bit. If it's a sunny day, definitely take sunglasses! Daylight will seem painfully bright until the drops wear off (larger pupils let in more light). You will get the results around three weeks after the test.

 

[Daks]

I should probably also mention that the test itself is fairly straightforward. It's required that you don't drive to your appointment. This is because they put drops in your eyes, which will make your vision very blurry for a few hours. This is to enlarge your pupils, so that they can get a good photo of the backs of your eyes. They use a fancy machine to take the photos, it's completely painless although the drops can sting a little bit. If it's a sunny day, definitely take sunglasses! Daylight will seem painfully bright until the drops wear off (larger pupils let in more light). You will get the results around three weeks after the test.

Charles you're a Gentleman, thanks for taking the time to squash a little anxiety for me.
Appreciated.

Daks

 

[Charles Robin]

No problem, happy to help. Hopefully everything will come back good, but don't panic if not. A lot of diabetics (myself included) get the early stages of Retinopathy. At this stage it's just a reason to control blood sugars as well as possible . The official line is that retinopathy is irreversible. However, some on this forum have reported that they were told they had retinopathy, only to be given the all clear a couple of years later when they managed their bloodsugars well.

 

[Daks]

No problem, happy to help. Hopefully everything will come back good, but don't panic if not. A lot of diabetics (myself included) get the early stages of Retinopathy. At this stage it's just a reason to control blood sugars as well as possible . The official line is that retinopathy is irreversible. However, some on this forum have reported that they were told they had retinopathy, only to be given the all clear a couple of years later when they managed their bloodsugars well.

I'll report back here once I have any results.

Thanks again.

 

[LucySW]

But also Daks, the blurry vision is temporary. So if you're getting specs, get only the cheapest most basic pair, because your prescription will change. If you can get your blood sugars down to below 7-ish, your prescription will go back basically to what it was before.

 

[Daks]

But also Daks, the blurry vision is temporary. So if you're getting specs, get only the cheapest most basic pair, because your prescription will change. If you can get your blood sugars down to below 7-ish, your prescription will go back basically to what it was before.

I have had very good control of my blood, my monthly average on my meter is 5.3mmol/l but I was only diagnosed on the 26th Jan.

I sure hope it's temporary.

Thanks for the advice

 

[LucySW]

Well, it took me about six or seven weeks after diagnosis for my eyes to change back and settle. I'd allow two months.

All the best of luck.