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Eyesight!

C

Circuspony

Well-Known Member
Messages
972
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I've had to borrow my Hubby's reading glasses to even be able to see my laptop screen.

Diagnosed with probable type 2 a fortnight ago, changed to type one (at the very old age of 43) when the gliclazide failed to do anything and I ended up in A&E with high keton readings. Problematic eyesight about 10 weeks ago was probably the first sign I had that something wasn't right - but the optician just told me that I'd missed a sight test and got more short-sighted without realising it.

Strangely enough my distance vision that was the problem then has sorted itself out, but my ability to read anything close up has vanished.

How long does it take to get back to normal? My glucose readings are inconsistent as I'm still getting to grips with everything, so does that mean my eyes are going to play up every time I get a high reading?
 
@Circuspony wonky eyesight pretty much comes with high blood sugar readings, as it damages the blood vessels at the back of the eyes. Your readings will settle down soon provided you do the right insulin dose for your carb intake etc, have you had what they call a "honeymoon" period? Where you're on a low insulin dose and have decent readings?
 
i was diagnosed type 1 diabetic 4 months ago my eyesight was awful at first very blurred vision about 4 weeks later after my blood sugars started to come under control my eyesight improved still have occasional blurred vision but doesnt last so hopefully you will be sorted soon goodluck x
 
I think my honeymoon period has long gone - without me even noticing there was a problem. Weight loss I put down to more exercise and falling asleep after dinner was due to a hectic day. Its fair to say my bloodwork wasn't great by the time I ended up in hospital, but it looks like my heart, liver and kidneys are all OK.
 
That's good to know. I'm still quietly seething at the optician who told me that I just hadn't noticed my vision getting worse. She even said that sudden eyesight changes only really happened in people with diabetes and I smiled, nodded and thought that didn't apply to me!
 
as ive said it will improve as your bg levels stabalise but it is scary at first i was excactly the same as you xx although sometimes i could do with it being a bit skew whiff haha take care x
 
Long term high BG damages blood vessels at the back of the eye. This is retinopathy.
When first diagnosed, there is another annoying affect of short term high BG. This is the need for the excess sugar in your blood to get out of your body. It finds all sorts of ways like forcing you to drink more and pee, in your saliva (some people are diagnosed by their dentist) and in your tears.
When I was first diagnosed, I was a bit upset and found myself breaking into tears ...until I liked the tears as they dripped down my face and found out they tasted sweet - so weird.
Sorry, I digress, sugary tears have a different density to salty tears. As a consequence, it is not unusual to experience blurry vision with high BG and the advice is to let this calm down before buying new glasses.

The good news is this is short term and @Circuspony should see improvements soon.
 

@helensaramay you learn something new every day!
 
Hey Circuspony,

Possibly try this to support your healing and recovering.
Higher A1C can cause healing problems and inflammations.
Your morning Fasting Glucose should be less 100mg/dl or 5.5mmol/l.
You can try every 3 ½ days Aspirin by for example every
Wednesday morning and Saturday evening and daily 400mg
Vitamin-E to get a little better blood-flow, where anything
swollen is also often a blood-circulation disorder sign.
.
 
I see everyone who has replied to @Circuspony is type 1 although she is type 2, so here is my contribution. A very long time ago before I was diabetic, I found I could no longer read without glasses (or much longer arms). Ah! said the optician you are 45, that's typical thing to happen quite quickly at your age. So change in your eyesight might not be entirely diabetes related. I have got down to normal HbA1c with a low carb diet but having higher carbs for a couple of weeks, due to a holiday in Sicily, definitely affected my eyesight, it came back to normal quickly when I resumed my diet. So if you can reduce your BG by diet and/or drugs you should see an improvement. Don't buy any expensive glasses in the meantime until you are sure your eyesight has stabilized.
Ch.R. said:
Your morning Fasting Glucose should be less 100mg/dl or 5.5mmol/l.
Click to expand...
That is pretty tough target, I haven't achieved that after 2 years of low carb and normal HbA1c. Many people find that the fasting level is the the last thing to be normal and some don't even bother measuring it due to the multiple factors that influence it.
 
@Circuspony - Welcome to the forum (great user name!).

I was fortunate not to have visual disturbances when diagnosed, but it must be irritating. Folks tend to find that once they get their bloods into a better range, their vision sorts itself out.

On an aside, your thread is in the Type 1 area of the forum, which isn't a massive issue, but you might encounter more Type 2s if your thread was in that area. Would you like me to move it for you? Myself, or any of the other Mods can move it for you.
 
@Ch.R. - Who advised you to use aspirin and Vitamin E in the way you suggest. It's a new one on me.

If you have any research supporting your approach, I'd be very interested to read it, if you would please post a link.

Thanks.
 
It seems my eyesight is worse than I thought! I didn't read that @Circuspony 's diagnosis had changed, sorry.
 
DCUKMod said:
@Ch.R. - Who advised you to use aspirin and Vitamin E in the way you suggest. It's a new one on me.

If you have any research supporting your approach, I'd be very interested to read it, if you would please post a link.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
Hey DCUKMod,

It’s basically common physical sense, after I also checked on this.
Based on the reason and Aspirin publications, that Aspirin should
never regularly been taken on a daily base, because the White-Blood-
Bodies with a living span of 8 days if once got in touch with Aspirin
could not interconnect anymore as necessary for any healing processes
and is therefore reducing the blood-viscosity to an extreme when daily
taken and resulting is a huge risk for internal bleedings !
( Therefore at Operations Aspirin 10 days before need to be stopped. )
But when Aspirin is taken just every 3 ½ days, that effect exists only
at the very first day, because within 8 days all White-Blood-Bodies are
continuously renewed and therefore taking it only every 3 ½ days is
allowing like this to have only the positive effect of. WOW !!
By the Vitamin-E is already since over 50 Years known, that it reduces
the sticking together of the Red-Blood-Bodies as it is amplified especially
By Higher Blood-Sugar where everybody knows, Sugar is a sticky thing
and by this is improving and preserving Better Blood-Flowing.
This is the reason why all international Air-Lines for long-distance flights, propose
to take Vitamin-E Supplements to reduce the risks of Blood-Circulation-Disorders.
( Vitamin-E therefore at Operations 2 Days before need to be stopped. )

I did initially find this Know-How at some Link and could immediately
understand it’s potential especially to Diabetes related and please keep
in mind there are more things in medicine applied without any Clinical-
Trials-Study based on the simple reason, that for example at US FDA
any such costs about $ 50-100 Millions to be aware of !

.
 
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Leave it here! Diagnosis changed to type 1 ( after an 8 hour stint in A&E)

I'm not brave enough to try aspirin on top of just starting insulin - one thing at a time to see how my body reacts. Vitamin E is interesting. I use it as a powerful antioxidant fir a horse who has an insulin sensitivity disorder which affects her muscles. I will research.
 

Oh gosh - The change in diagnosis must have been a shock. But, yes, of course your thread should stay here.

You can change your profile to display your T1 status, via your profile. You can access your profile by clicking your user name in the top right hand side of your screen. In the Personal Details section, Type of Diabetes is listed part way down the page.
 
The Aspirin would just very little improve the Insulin sensitivity, but otherwise
not interfering with anything else !

As any Pharmacy can confirm, there are Millions of People in the World
which based on some very positive effects, as prevention against all kinds
of vascular disorders take every day Aspirin.
I have been one of them at a daily base until age related I became some
diverticulum at the end of my colon and when I have seen blood on the
toilet paper, I immediately stopped it and within after one day it all got back
to normality, because within 16 hours the Aspirin substance is completely out
of the body and every day its effect on the White-Blood-Bodies becomes less.
However, until I seen this by taking it only every 3 ½ Days, I tried it again
and now since over one year did never again experience the same, but I
can see on my feet that I have them reduced swollen as none-swollen.
And I take every day even 3 different kind of Insulin with no problems.
.
 
Last edited:
Following driving problems and blurred vision I took myself off to the opticians. It was only six months since I had had new varifocals. The diabetes was not picked up. Three weeks later at aged 54 I found myself in A and E with a type 1 diagnosis. Struggling to see, I bought some off the shelf specs until I could have a re test about 6 weeks later, to enable me to carry on working. Driving was not an option. Luckily my original glasses were ok in the end. It was the most frustrating part of the diagnosis for me. The good news being it sorts itself out in the end.
 
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