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Going to have to make changes

M

MarkD72

Active Member
Bit down tonight.

My eyesight has fallen off a cliff last few weeks and quite alarmed me. Going from playing darts not requiring my glasses to not being able to focus on dart board with glasses. Same watching TV.

Contacted GP for blood tests and also booked in for eye checkup.
Eye checkup came back eye health good although need new faraway glasses. Weirdly up close eyesight improved?

Bloods came back today at 8.1 which I believe is 65? So pretty much in T2 territory. Got to go back in 2 weeks for more bloods but pretty much resigned to having to overhaul a lot of things.

Not wanting to go anywhere near statins or other medication if possible and attack this with diet and exercise.

Have done keto before so no stranger to that one but will be hanging around here quite a bit moving forward looking for advice and support x
 
Hi @NarkD72 and welcome to the forums.
I'm sure some T2s will be along to post soon but I just wanted to say that the good news is that it's normal for high blood sugars to make your eyesight go wonky, so I strongly urge you not to buy any new glasses until your levels have gone down.

Once more, welcome
 
Hi @MarkD72, and welcome. @EllieM has given you some good advice regarding eyes and new glasses.

As a glasses wearing T2, ups and downs in glucose levels after diagnosis certainly played silly beggars with my eyesight, so IMO it makes sense to wait until they've stabilized before getting new glasses. I had spells when I particularly noticed that close up (e.g. using my PC) my vision could both improve and worsen.

Eating a low carb/ketogenic diet should help improve glucose glucose levels and as a result, those errant eyes. My HbA1c diagnosis was slightly lower than yours, but low carb brought figures down to pre diabetic within 3 months. And I didn't need new glasses.

Regarding statins, I'd already been taking them long term well before T2 raised its head, but I was finally able to persuade my short term diabetes support GP (not my normal one!) to let me stop them and this lowered my glucose levels by a couple of points. So unless there's some genuine need - not "just because" then avoid them like the plague...
 
Thanks both for taking the time to reply.

Have got the prescription for my eye test so have ordered a cheap pair online for now reason being I cannot now read a number plate from 20 yards with my current glasses so would lose my license if pulled over and checked.
My eyes have gotten so bad over 2 weeks it's scaring me a bit tbh. Hopefully all fall back into place in time.

I done a keto diet several years ago and lost a couple stone so going low carb / high fat should not be too difficult just sucks to start right before Christmas. Gin and tonic it is then.

Got 2nd bloods in 2 weeks but expect same result so guess I will get pulled in for a debrief on all thing diabetic.

Cheers
Mark
 
Yes I thought after posting that cheap glasses might do as a temporary solution - I don't drive so I never had to worry about that side of things.

I was diagnosed about 3 week before Christmas and was just a bit selective about what I ate over the holiday period, but if you are going to be out celebrating it may need a bit more planning.
 
I actually paid 130 quid for new glasses but was embarrassed to admit that earlier.
So I went into the local branch and explained situation and said best they could do is 50% reduction on a new pair.
Made a complaint on their online portal
and had a call from the branch manager within the hour saying they have a 3 month returns policy and have booked me in for new test and will replace lenses all free of charge.
I also bought some cheap online glasses for 30 quid so will have to take a hit on those.
 
Good news about the glasses.

(although how sad that your optician/optometrist person didn't realise that a rapid change in eye health could be the result of high blood glucose...)

I find that anything that keeps me motivated to stick to my lower carb eating habits is good.
So for you, knowing that eating carbs -> raised blood glucose => sends your eyesight wonky => unsafe to drive
could serve as fantastic motivation to keep lower carbing over Xmas and onwards...

Just as a note: If you have already made dietary changes that have helped your eyes, that means that your bg has already dropped significantly.
Please make sure that your doc checks your bg levels before they prescribe any medication for you. Otherwise there is a risk you may end up over-medicated and running the risk of hypos!
 
When I had my eye test I explained what had happened regarding sudden eyesight deterioration and that my GP had asked me to do a blood test for diabetes and to get my eyes checked out.
Explained I was still waiting for results and asked if diabetes could affect eyesight and if they would return to normal. This was before I had researched so didn't know. He said it was permanent which is why I then ordered glasses.
Put all this into my complaint and asked why I was not told to wait until I had my results before being prescribed new glasses.
Looking back its quite poor the advice I was given but at least they are going to retest and replace the lenses.
Specsavers by the way who should know better.
Got second blood test next week so see what that brings and what advice I am given from doc although already know what I need to do.
 
Hi @MarkD72

Hope your feeling a bit better today. A word of encouragement: I had the same experience when first diagnosed - sudden eyesight change and then within a couple of weeks of reducing carbs drastically it reverting to where it was. It took me longer, a few months, to get my HBA1C to normal levels but eventually I got there and stayed there. I've had no issues with eyesight since that first couple of weeks after diagnosis. I've now had two subsequent annual diabetic eye screenings there are no signs of retinopathy so I am hoping that means if I maintain my blood sugar levels I'll be ok from now on. I hope a similar path for you. I was really worried at the beginning when my eyes changed and my HBA1C was over 100. Its great that you already know what to do!
 
Before I was diagnosed my eyesight was changing from week to week, so much so that I my prescription was changing by the time I had been retested and issued with new glasses - it was crazy! It does settle and when I stopped the carbs my vision went really blurry for quite a while I think its due to sugar crystals in the eyes or something.
 
MarkD72 said:
Update that now a month later my eyesight is back to how it was previous so using my original glasses as b4 and have 2 new pairs that are now useless lol
Click to expand...
Winner for the eyesight back to previous, but a bind to have 2 new pairs that are now useless Been there and worn the t shirt - out in my case!
 
I had the same but the optician was able to recycle the frames on one pair, and I am keeping the other 2 pairs safe for when I need a replacement. Still cost money, but a lot less. Maybe your optician would consider doing that.
 
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