eye troubles.

Hi Manda
I have eye problems (I also have other medical problems) and feel as though I'm going blind so I know the anxiety that it causes, I can't sleep for worrying and as for the tears well, I broke down in front of my doctor and told her how I was feeling, she's put me on medication for depression. It's not working yet as I have only been taking it for 5 days.
I don't know if diabetes is causing the problem yet. For the past two years running, when I've had my eyes tested the optician has referred me back to my doctor for a hospital referral. I've had two different doctors telling me different things! I had a scan (MRI) 2 weeks ago and I'm waiting for the results.
You need to ask your doctor to explain your condition to you, tell your doctor how you are feeling, talk to someone don't bottle it all up, you'll feel more at ease once you've shared your worries! (I got no sympathy from my husband, all he ever says is "you're worrying over nothing") its not him with the eye problems!
I have just joined this forum so I'm hoping like you for some reassurance. I hope you get it sorted.

Take care x

hello, yes I have also been told I have diabetic retinopathy, it has scared me and I am so worried about going blind and I am really trying to get my blood sugars under control, and really trying hard to lose weight without success I might add no matter what I do. I am going to the docs to discuss the problems I am having, I feel for you and I know what you are going through, you are not on your own, there are lots of people on here who I am sure can help with your question, try not to worry to much, I know thats easier said than done, you must talk to your doctor and tell him your fears.

The idea f the screening was to find reinopathy earlier so that it could be treated as early as possible. In my area screening has only been in place for the past five years .
During that time I have seen huge improvements in treatments. It is very rare now for anone to lose their sight.

Of course you are bound to worry but I would say you should be patient at first. It is unlikely that anyone willl be prepared to give you the reassurances you seek because everyone is different and to fully assess your condition will ake some time.
All you can do for yourself is o try to keep your levels under control and stable.

It is all very confusing and frightening at first but a hospial referral does not mean hat you are on the verge of losing your sight.
It is usually just so that you can get more regular checks and have instant access o treatment if required.

One of the reasons noone can give you immediae answers is because your glucose levels , bp and cholesterol are all involved and always will be.
The hospital need to see you over a period of time to assess the progress of your reinopathy although some may be offered reatment immediately if the need is apparent.

There really s no need to panic. but don't expect too much from your first visit - although you may be fortunate, These clinics are always very busy as hey are ageneral eye clinics. Later you may be referred to a consultant.

Just try to see it as fortunate that the retinopahy is going to be momnitored and that it has been found at an early stage before more damage can be done.

Am I unique being male and having eye problems or is it just none of the other men post ... every thread on this seems to be all women roblem:

Hi.

Have you read this ? It's a good place to start although I prefer hearing from people now I know a bit more about the technical side of the condition.
Good control is important to stop further damage. It's daunting at first but try not to worry and take it slow as there's a lot of information to take in from food changes to tests you will need.

http://medweb.bham.ac.uk/easdec/

I've noticed the disproportionate amount of female posters who seem to have retinopathy . Maybe we're just more vocal

It is odd just how many seem to be female ... I keep looking for a fellow male to turn up but one never does.

I suppose female hormones are cyclical and this may in some way mirror the larger range of blood sugars that diabetics tend to have?

SouthernGeneral6512 said:

It is odd just how many seem to be female ... I keep looking for a fellow male to turn up but one never does.

I suppose female hormones are cyclical and this may in some way mirror the larger range of blood sugars that diabetics tend to have?

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Well my retinopathy was brought on (prolferative) by dropping my bg's too quick when pregnant, plus the pregnancy hormones, so that's a female link for you. Don't know about the others with it though

LASIK eye surgery is a procedure that corrects certain vision problems, reducing or eliminating the need for eyeglasses or corrective lenses. LASIK is short for laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis, the technical term for the surgical procedure.



What is Lasik

I think most people on this thread are talking about diabetic retinopathy which is treated with pan retinal laser, or focal/grid laser for maculopathy. This is completely different to LASIK.

I don't think you are unique SG. In fact I think I read somwhere that it actually affects more men than women. I am sure hat female hormones do play a part - they do in most things.Paricularly in pregnacy i should think but also at other times.

As you know I am frequent visitor to the hospital and have been for five years. I have spen more time wih my fellow paients during that time than I have with friends and family!

I would say the number of men wih reinopahy {diabetic} well outnumbers the number of women. hardly a scientific sudy bu i think the scientists say the same thing.

I think there are posters who have had treatment in the past but as it is no longer an issue with them they don't post about it.

Maybe it is an age thing. Many of those I meet are older.

UB I think the age thing may be because the length of time you've had diabetes is directly correlated with retinopathy. So as the majority of diabetics are diagnosed later in life, this means the majority of retinopathy sufferers will be older.
I'm trying to find out how likely retinopathy is to return after treatment - from your anecdotal experience what are your views?

I have been on insulin for 41 years now, and until recently everything fine. My last eye screening (4 weeks ago) I was told I had cataracts both eyes, my left being the worst, apparently cataracts are common in diabetes and the plan is to leave it another 6 months before having an op. The ophthalmologist said looking at the back of my eyes he would never have guessed I had been on insulin for so long, so please try not to worry, he said my control must have been good over the years, I've had 4 children and always kept my levels good. if you look after yourself, you should be fine.

I was 9 years old when diagnosed with diabetes, I will be 50 this year.

I think we need a cut and paste of text about retinopathy like we have for diabetes in general. It seems to freak people out more than it should, in my opinion.

I have very early retinopathy and am concerned but not freaking out. From what I've read about it, it is more common in older diabetics, but young ones can sometimes get it. So every diabetic should be told about prevention and screening.

CatLadyNZ said:

I think we need a cut and paste of text about retinopathy like we have for diabetes in general. It seems to freak people out more than it should, in my opinion.

I have very early retinopathy and am concerned but not freaking out. From what I've read about it, it is more common in older diabetics, but young ones can sometimes get it. So every diabetic should be told about prevention and screening.

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That's very good idea. I have been thinking the same thing for a while. With screening more people are affected or conscious of the complication but new threads about it seem to appear every week.

Somewhere to findimmmediate information and hopefully, reassurance is an excellent idea.

CatLadyNZ said:

So every diabetic should be told about prevention and screening.

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I wholeheartedly agree CatLady, the following site that Shygirl posted earlier is by far one of the best places to visit on the web if you want to know about Diabetic Retinopathy and prevention:

http://medweb.bham.ac.uk/easdec/

Unbeliever said:

CatLadyNZ said:

I think we need a cut and paste of text about retinopathy like we have for diabetes in general. It seems to freak people out more than it should, in my opinion.

I have very early retinopathy and am concerned but not freaking out. From what I've read about it, it is more common in older diabetics, but young ones can sometimes get it. So every diabetic should be told about prevention and screening.

Click to expand...

That's very good idea. I have been thinking the same thing for a while. With screening more people are affected or conscious of the complication but new threads about it seem to appear every week.

Somewhere to findimmmediate information and hopefully, reassurance is an excellent idea.

Click to expand...

Yes in my experience most of the doctors at the eye hospital are too busy to explain anything to the patients. My NHS consultant talks in riddles if you ask her any questions. This is why I'm staying private for the moment, although I can't sustain that indefinitely.

I saw my optometrist today and he explained diabetic retinopathy in more detail for me. It was really interesting. I can't remember much of the detail but I felt reassured for myself. Which is a blessing because I am battling depression.

One thing he said was that often when people come in for that first "baseline" screening soon after diagnosis, they have one or two dots, like me, (mine's a micro-aneurysm if anyone's interested) and they record it and check again in 6 and maybe 12 months and it's gone, because the person has started managing their diabetes and has "good control" as opposed to more or less rampant hyperglycaemia that most of us seem to have when we are diagnosed (T2 I'm talking about).

He also said that my dot will not do me any harm, even if it never goes away. It's just an "indicator" of my vascular health. I know I'm at risk of diabetes complications for a bunch of reasons - I've had hypertension for at least 5 years and have just started to have high cholesterol. BP, cholesterol and glucose are the three things we have to target all at the same time. I allowed one to get out of control and it affected the others.

Knowledge is power. If you don't know, ask, and keep asking, until someone gives you an answer you can understand and trust.

Hi CatLady, ive just answered your post in another thread, hadnt seen this one.

Glad your optometrist has helped put your mind at rest, not having all the facts can be very scary, as with so many things in diabetes knowledge is power :thumbup:

CatLadyNZ said:

I saw my optometrist today and he explained diabetic retinopathy in more detail for me. It was really interesting. I can't remember much of the detail but I felt reassured for myself. Which is a blessing because I am battling depression.

One thing he said was that often when people come in for that first "baseline" screening soon after diagnosis, they have one or two dots, like me, (mine's a micro-aneurysm if anyone's interested) and they record it and check again in 6 and maybe 12 months and it's gone, because the person has started managing their diabetes and has "good control" as opposed to more or less rampant hyperglycaemia that most of us seem to have when we are diagnosed (T2 I'm talking about).

He also said that my dot will not do me any harm, even if it never goes away. It's just an "indicator" of my vascular health. I know I'm at risk of diabetes complications for a bunch of reasons - I've had hypertension for at least 5 years and have just started to have high cholesterol. BP, cholesterol and glucose are the three things we have to target all at the same time. I allowed one to get out of control and it affected the others.

Knowledge is power. If you don't know, ask, and keep asking, until someone gives you an answer you can understand and trust.

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I found this interesting because it is often said that bringing blood sugar under control can make retinopathy worse. I've just had my 3 monthly examination and the doctor said my right eye had improved with better control and reduced blood pressure (left eye just the same)