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Haemorrhage in the macula

T

TypeZero.

Well-Known Member
Messages
296
Hi guys I’m wondering if any of you have experienced this and what your treatment was

I’m nearly 19 and have been diagnosed more than 4 months ago. My symptoms were apparent for nearly a year but I managed to get used to it before I went to the doctors.

Had my diabetic eye screening and everything seemed fine but received a letter saying I have a macular haemorrhage in my left eye. The condition that I have developed is supposed to cause vision loss but my left eye already had very very poor vision due to a cataract from when I was 4 so I didn’t realise because my brain is kind of ignoring vision from that eye.

Was wondering if anyone has experienced this. I’m surprised this has happened to me since I’m still at the very start of my Type 1 diabetes journey.
 

Hi TZ,

Sorry to hear this, I seem to remember you mentioning eye issues at an early age.
Do you have a follow up appointment at an ophthalmologist?
 
Jaylee said:
Hi TZ,

Sorry to hear this, I seem to remember you mentioning eye issues at an early age.
Do you have a follow up appointment at an ophthalmologist?
Click to expand...

Yes they’re going to do a slit lamp biomicroscopy— whatever that is but it’s at my hospital in London and in about 10 days I’m moving out to go to university so I don’t know what’s going to happen.

Hopefully I do get an appointment in less 10 days but I’m not hopeful. Have you had any eye problems? I’m a bit confused as to how this happened so early on and whether or not if it’s linked to my previous eye condition or diabetes
 

Hi,

Sounds like you are having more scans to me.
Yes, I've had macula edema. Fluid distorting the back of the eye.? Distorting centeral visual field.
No retinopathy, bleeds or anything like that.. This was a new one on me when they called it out a few years back?
It was sorted with a course of anti-VEGF injections.

TZ, my advice would be to prioritise yourself & grab these appointments with both hands..
We can always make up the time taken out from work or study later..
 

TypeZero - A couple of years ago, despite serially good A1c results (low 30s), a screening picked up a change (not a bleed, but a change in one of my eyes). Needless to say I was disturbed, disappointed and a bit bewildered by it.

I am fortunate enough to know one of our local Opthalmologists, specialising in Diabetic Eye Disease, so it'sno stretch of the imagination to learn, I called him to discuss it all.

to be clear, to the best of my knowledge he has never looked at my screens, but the discussion talked around what can happen, how a change can occur and how they can also disappear. However, one thing he was very keen to stress was that whilst it is true some people living with diabetes can develop eye problems, associated with their diabetes, not all eye issues in those relating to people living with diabetes are due to their diabetes.

In other words, not everything is due to diabetes.

Of course, it is important your condition is followed up and you are cared for in an appropriate manner. This must seem like a blow you could have done without. I wish you well with it all.
 
These are all questions you must ask the doctor. Write them down and take them with you as its easy to forget.
I've had eye problems and eye surgery all decades before I was diagnosed diabetic. Not all eye problems are linked to diabetes. Not all diabetics get eye problems.
 
I have had a few micro aneurysms over the years that went away. Then I had a retinal detachment, which had to be fixed promptly and was not related to the diabetes at all. Sounds like you may have that situation too.
 
Did the letter name the condition that you have? It's unusual for someone with type 1 diabetes to develop diabetic retinopathy within the first 5 years following diabetes diagnosis. There are also other, non-diabetic causes of haemorrhage.

Did you tell the screener about your amblopia (low visual acuity)? A haemorrhage close to the centre of the macula is usually classed as a maculopathy if the visual acuity is poor, but not if the reason for the low visual acuity is known.
 

The letter said I would need further examination at a hospital using a slit lamp biomicroscope.

The letter had the notes the doctor wrote about me, I basically told her my whole eye history, cataract at age 4 in left eye which left me with low visual acuity.

She has said she can’t see anything in my right eye but can “just see some haemorrhage within the macula” in my left eye and at the bottom it says “I am referring to you as I am concerned due to his young age”, I think it’s just a letter to the hospital but I got CC’ed.

I’m just wondering whether the low visual acuity I’ve had since my cataract surgery was due to this macula haemorrhage but I’m sure if a haemorrhage did happen then it wouldn’t last 14-15 years in my eyes would it?
 
As you say, a haemorrhage wouldn't last for years and low visual acuity after childhood cataract is because the retina-brain connections don't develop properly when the path of light to the retina is obscured at a critical time. It's difficult at a first screening because the screening service won't know how low a visual acuity is normal for you. They are therefore likely to err on the side of caution.
 
I've had some leakage from the blood vessels in my eyes. Mostly they've just been monitored by the hospital but as one threatened to affect my central vision, they Lasered it. Over in minutes and no pain. Hope this helps x
 
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