• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

neuropathy? retinopathy?

D

diva19871987

Well-Known Member
Messages
74
Location
Nottingham
Hi, I have been diabetic for 12 years and have a few questions and would like to know other type 1s excperiences. I was diagnosed with background retinopathy 2 years ago and was told no laser was needed at this stage. I recently had another eye exam and was told it had not progressed but niether had it got better with tight control. My eye sight has been very blurry for about 7 months and I made an appoitment with my local optictions who check to back of my eye and I was told there was nothing they could see which is serious. Why have I got blurry eyes if my retinopathy has not progressed? Has anyone had this?

Also over the past month I have had pain in my feet when walking or standing too long. I do not have numbness in my feet and was wondring if this could be neuropathy even though I can still feel them. I thought neuropathy is when feeling is lost from feet. Could someone please clarify wether thi could be neuropathy and what experience others have had with neuropathy, whether they still had sensation in you feet.

Thank you
 
Hi. I've been diabetic for over 20 years now an got my first letter about diabetic retinopathy aboout two years ago. Like you, it hadn't gotten worse but it hasn't improved either. As long as it's not getting worse I'm not too worried. My control has always been good (with the exception of a couple of years when I was a teenager). Make sure your control stays good, your blood pressure and cholesterol low and, fingers crossed, things won't get any worse. The blurred sight could be caused by your diabetes. M sight is often blurrier if my sugars are running a bit high or have been unstable not it could be that you are short sighted, have astigmatism etc. Haw you been checked for these?

Neuropathy - I'm afraid I have no idea as it's not something I have ever experienced. Hopefully somebody else on the forum will be able to answer these questions for you. I always say that if you are in doubt you should ask your diabetes team - that's what they are there for!

Em
 
Your vision can be blurred if you blood sugar bounces about a bit as it can affect the shape of the eye lens. I have had laser and now my eyes are stable if offered laser I'd advise you take it as the sooner the better. Paradoxically with out treatment if your blood sugars are improved to HBA1C average of 7% or below it can cuse the condition to get worse in the short term.

Neuropathy
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Peripheral ... ction.aspx

miner started as tingling/burning in the feet lower legs but has been fairly stable for many years - mine came on quickly after about 3 years mainly due to the horrendous control I had in the early days mainly due to the treatment of insulin mixtard which was a nightmare for me
 
As SAH says high blood glucose can cause blurry vision, is your bg running higher than normal?
 
SAH154 said:
Your vision can be blurred if you blood sugar bounces about a bit as it can affect the shape of the eye lens. I have had laser and now my eyes are stable if offered laser I'd advise you take it as the sooner the better. Paradoxically with out treatment if your blood sugars are improved to HBA1C average of 7% or below it can cuse the condition to get worse in the short term.

Yes this happened to me I improved from 9.6 to 5.9 within a month due to pregnancy and it got much worse (this can also happen in pregnancy even wihtout hte hba1c nosedive)

I have had laser on one eye now facing laser on the other eye too, retinopathy can progress but much less likely if well controlled. Blood pressure and cholesterol are also factors, so if either of those is high in you, get it checked out. Blood pressure supposed to be as bad as blood sugar for retinopathy.

It is sneaky though, my left eye stayed at the pre proliferative stage for ages, I thought it was ok, then suddenly in the last two months it has got a lot worse to the point of needing laser, even though my bg's fairly well controlled. So make sure you never miss your checks!
Click to expand...
 
I recently had my eyes checked at Guys and for the first time, some damage was seen but nothing to warrant immediate treatment and I will be called back in 12 months. I have neuropathy in my feet for some years now and have been prescribed gabapentin to help this. My feet are not totally numb but clearly there is a loss of feeling there. I have recently gone on a low carb diet and at long last my bg's are beginning to come under control. The damage to my feet, as I understand it, is irreversible but hopefully the new diet and the gabapentin will keeo it under control. My sight is also blurry and I feel I need a new prescription for my varifocles. I don't know whether this is a diabetic 'complication' or just old age :)

Ray
 
Smoking will also make retinopathy worse and I was prescribed statins and ramipril to protect my eyes and kidneys
If not on these then consider this and speak to your diabetic consultant
 
My feet have been paining me since I was diagnosed. Sometimes it is there sometimes not. Worse when I first stand up after lying down. I was told by my doctor that once my sugars were under control it would settle down and the pain actually is your nerves activitating and mending, and not to get panicked about it, he also said it could get worse while reducing sugars.
 
Thank you all for reply, made feel a little better! So can you have nerve damage without losing sensation in the feet. I alway thought never damage caused your feet completely numb, is this no the case. I can sometimes walk a long distance without any pain in my feet but other times I can only walk short distance and have a painful burning sensation. Im totally confused because if I have neuropathy why can I still feel my feet? Am I more likely to lose lose feeling in my feet if it is neuropathy. Will I definately lose the sensation or can yu have neuropathy and lose no sensation?
 
Watch out for blisters I don't feel these forming until it's too late but I seem to have cured this y wearing two pairs of thin cotton socks when doing a bit of walking
 
Back
Top