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Eyesight changes

A

Anthony King

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Alongside my Type 2 Diabetes I have had eyesight changes. No blurriness just a change in where my eyes focus. My eyesight was perfect prior and as the other symptoms progressed I noticed that I was also losing the ability to focus on things at close range. It got so bad that I have had to wear reading glasses. In the past week of so it seems to be getting better and I am starting to focus at closer ranges. I can't seem to find these problems listed anywhere. Has anyone else had similar problems?
 
Yes my eyesight seemed to change and I landed up getting stronger reading glasses, but now that I am doing better with my glucose levels my eyesight seems to have improved again and my new glasses are too strong!
 
As blood sugars go up or down in diabetes, vision can change. If the sugar level changes are minimal, so are the vision changes.
 
It may be nothing to do with diabetes. Eye sight changes all the time, and as we get older the changes are more obvious. We can change from short to long sighted, and then back again. Our focusing changes, and the more we use the small screens on phones, laptops, tablets and PC's, the more strain we put on our eyes.
 
Hi Anthony, as you were only diagnosed at the end of November, I would guess that your eyesight problems are due to high blood sugars before diagnoses. Once you have your blood sugars under control your sight will settle again. If at all worried though please go get your eyes tested, make sure you tell the optician that you are newly diagnosed so new glasses aren't prescribed unnecessarily.
 
It's so interesting how our eyesight reflects our general health in many areas. I went for my usual 2 yearly opticians check up a couple of weeks ago and he told me about the heart problems I was having just by testing my vision and asking me questions.
Also my brother in law saw his optician a few months ago and was told he should see his GP because his eyes indicated that he has a health problem which he is now being treated for.
Opticians seem to be able to gauge our general health through our eyes and vision better than GPs sometimes.
 
I really appreciate the people who have read and replied to my posts. I couldn't find anything about change of focal plane on the internet or in any book. Oddly the effects seemed to come on well after the other symptoms and appear to be the last to subside. Today I found that my eyes were getting strained with my glasses on and that I could actually read text again at close range. Really grateful to you all!
 
Sound advice
 

Really - I simply Googled 'vision changes and diabetes' and found several sources:-
http://www.webmd.com/eye-health/eye-problems
"High blood sugar in diabetes causes the lens of the eye to swell, which changes your ability to see. To correct this kind of eye problem, you need to get your blood sugar back into the target range (70-130 milligrams per deciliter or mg/dL before meals, and less than 180 mg/dL one to two hours after a meal). It may take as long as three months after your blood sugar is well controlled for your vision to fully get back to normal."

I've only been diagnosed for 3 months and although my optician (at Boots) did not give specific numbers this is broadly what I was told when I went there for an eye test last week.
 
Most places I checked just said that your vision might get blurry not that your focal plane would change. I did ask the doctor and my diabetic nurse who didn't seem to know much aside from retinal problems. It looks like the increased sugar level results in the eye lens absorbing more water, rather than increasing its refractive properties as you would expect the thicker lens is actually less refractive due to the increased water content hence you become long sighted. When the sugar level is corrected the lens sheds the water and becomes more refractive and the focal plane then moves back to where it started. Thanks for the link Urbanracer!
 
My eye sight went rather strange while I was getting my BS under control .. its all gone back to normal now my sugar levels are normal
 
Anthony!!

I have just joined this forum to post exactly the same question as you!

I was diagnosed with type 2 on the 29th dec - and started 2x 500mg metformin. My test showed I was 23 (supposed to be 7?!) I'm 31 years old. The day I was diagnosed I started a strict diet.

4 days ago my vision changed overnight! I had perfect vision and could see close and far. I only had to wear a 0.1 prescription on my computer.

What's happened is almost hard to explain - but Anthony was close. My vision isn't blurry - it's like my eyes can't focus. If I try hard - I can force my eyes to focus, but they then slip back out of focus.

When you instinctively get your phone out your pocket (or pick up a book, etc) and move it to the distance from your face that you just "know" is the right distance - it's out of focus. I'm at arms length to read.

I went to the doctors - but he didn't say it had anything to do with my diabetes - he told me to just go to the opticians. But I don't believe this. Not when it happened overnight - and just a week after starting metformin.

I'm not sure I should go to the opticians as I know my prescription will have changed now - as I can't see right. But I don't want to buy new glasses as it feels different most mornings.

It's scary. As what's more important then your eyesight. I'm worried it's something more serious.

Everyone's replies that it's just blood levels is good. I just hope that's the case. Great forum everyone
 
Hi Lee Welcome. Just before I was diagnosed my ability to focus just went crazy. That was my biggest concern...its settled down now although if I have the odd spike it does struggle...but glad to say those days are few and far between. Once you have a consistent level of BS i am sure it will settle down as most colleagues have suggested.
 

Can't say with certainty but you're new to this and with a Blood Sugar of 23 (if I'm reading your post correctly) is WAY too high. Get those BS down (buy a meter pronto and test test test) eat a controlled diet, exercise and things will probably turn back to normal.

@daisy will be along to post some useful info for new members. You are in the right place Welcome Mike
 
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