Eye trouble

the last few months I’ve increasingly had eye pain and headaches. Now it may well be nothing whatsoever to do with diabetes but just wanted to check with some that have had retinopathy that I can cross this off my list of suspects. I have other suspects including b12, stress, atypical migraine and perimenopause. In September last year (3 months post diagnosis and 9mths ago now) diabetic retinopathy screening was all clear.

The pain is a feeling of pressure particularly in the inner areas and top of eye socket, almost like the eye is bruised a bit. Rolling my eyes up into the sockets in a classic and exaggerated eye roll provokes an ache. I also have some visual disturbance that’s hard to put into words. I get migraine with aura. It’s like I am on the verge of that visual aura experience but it lasts hours or all day sometimes whereas for a migraine it’ll come on, make me nearly blind and pass in less than half hour. Its not blind spots or blurred but just wrong.

Sound familiar to anyone? Or totally different?

My hb1ac at its highest on diagnosis was 55mmol, rapidly dropping to 44 in 3 months and more or less static since. Now I know it was quite quick but not overly dramatic and nothing like the 30mmol suggested by this website as rapid improvement induced retinopathy https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-complications/diabetic-retinopathy.html.

I’ve seen the dr several times and mentioned these headaches in regards to the other suspect causes (and largely been told it’s probably my hormones and do I want hrt or more migraine tabs rather than helped to find an answer). Maybe I need to bring them to their attention specifically if I can’t get to the bottom of it soon myself as it’s becoming increasingly a problem.

I had a routine eye test in January. Other than standard vision glasses no issues.

Bright lights seem a bit of a trigger (always have been quite light sensitive) but they don’t look dulled as you describe.

Now honestly, I don’t remember. I think so. Perhaps I’ll call tomorrow and check.

Rachox said:

You'd remember the glaucoma pressure test, they puff a burst of air into each eye! Very odd feeling!
I reduced my HbA1c by 34mmols/mol in the space of 4 months and having had a clear retinal screen on diagnosis the following year it showed background retinopathy. I hadn’t a clue I had it as I had no symptoms. My subsequent scan this year was clear again.
My only advice is to consult a dr or optician about your symptoms. Hope it turns out to be nothing to worry about x

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Oh I know I’ve had the puff test. Just not sure if it was this time or previously. Brain fog. Hence b12/menopause concerns too. Not sure if gp (again!) or opticians is next step. I kind of hope the opticians is the route as I’m sure my file is getting rather thick at the gp’s. I’ll make some calls.

Well it got more fun today. Eyes, numbness and headaches over the weekend. Now I get migraine with aura but this was a whole new ballgame. So off to gp this morning and I get an ambulance ride offered there and then as the “aura” had lasted more than an hour, by about 3 or 4 days maybe as much as 2 weeks!! I take a slightly more scenic ride in with a family member as hey it hadn’t happened overnight and get to spend the day having tests and scan for bleeds and lesions. Fortunately the only grey matter found is supposed to be there and nothing looked amiss. Back to the gp to go to neurology next for atypical migraine.