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Less testing for retinopathy in pregnant diabetics

T

the_anticarb

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My Opthalmologist told me today that they are reducing the recommended number of times pregnant diabetics have their eyes checked during pregnancy. God knows why. Surely it's a completely false economy if that means someone ends up getting a bleed from proliferative retinopathy because they haven't been lasered in time?

he doesn't agree with it as pregnancy can bring on changes in retinopathy very fast. People have gone blind from it before the pregnancy is over (unusual but it has happened) I think the combination of growth hormones plus (in some cases) a Hba1c which may be reduced rapidly to allow for the pregnancy or if it is unplanned is a very bad one.

My eyes both went haywire in both my pregnancies despite the fact that I'd had pre emptive laser on one of them to avoid that very problem. I was fine at 30 weeks, told not to worry then boom! at 36 weeks had a bad bleed out of the blue. It did marr what should have been a lovely time before the birth, but I recoverd ok and am stable in both eyes now.

I just can't understand the logic of reducing checks, and warn any pregnant diabetic with any pre existing retinopathy to be very careful.
 
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That's madness. A false economy too.

I've just given birth so I don't know if the eye checks I had were the old or the new amount, but I had a test each trimester and am due a post-delivery check too.

As you say, because pregnancy can have such a strong effect on the eyes it makes absolutely no sense not to do enough checks. It's almost negligent, in my opinion.

Your experience sounds scary. I'm glad your eyes are stable now and I hope they stay that way.
 
I had a huge hemorrhage right after my last pregnancy . It took a year before I could see again . I eventually had to have a vitrectomy after 12 laser sessions . It is so important to be checked .
 
It would be interesting to find the guidelines or standards detailing this change, and see if they give reasons for the change. Would this sort of thing be covered by NICE, or by an Opthalmology authority? There may be an opportunity to protest the change and get it reversed, even.
 
I've just been to my ante-natal diabetic clinic and they told me " sorry for the pun " but that my ophthalmologist would need to keep a closer eye on my retinopathy with regular appointments so that is puzzling why they would tell you that ! So much conflicting information it's really stressful ! Surely as others mentioned they should follow nice guidelines !
 
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