Tough day and understandably opticians news will take time to digest. Sympathy for the tooth issue which would be sufficient to spoil most days. Easy to say from here but hopefully the dental issue is on the way to resolution and the more thorough optician, advice on UV sunglasses and detection of retinopathy means potentially more major problems can be avoided.Just got back from dentist. Now have a numb mouth. I am minus a tooth. I have to wait for it to heal, and then in a couple of weeks go back to get a mould made so to have an extra tooth added to my falsies. So that to look forward to. But the painful pressure of that sheared off tooth has now gone.
Thank you for all your good wishes.
I also had an optician’s yearly appointment, which was just before I went to the Dentist, they are next door to each other. It was a different optometrist, a man I have never seen before, but he was very thorough and very informative.
It is still sinking in what he found and told me. The way he did the eye testing and completely different to how I have had it before. I found it it bewildering. It was completely different testing apparatus and screens.
He also did different eye examinations (or they were the same done in a different way?).
He explained the the surface of my left eye was damaged which was why it felt and was drier. So it was imperative I use all the eyedrops I need, even oftener than every hour if needed. But both eyes need frequent eye drops.
He also explained that I should be keeping the eye drops and ointments in the fridge, because the eye itself is like a hot plate (was his analogy) and especially with this hot weather the eyedrops have sizzled away almost immediately they touch the eye. If they are cold from the fridge, they last longer in the eye and are more soothing because they last longer.
Then he asked me if I knew I had damage at the back of my left eye. I said no. So he brought up photographs from 2016 to the present. Before 2016 my left eye was fine. But from 2016 onwards the damage was there and has got worse with each photograph. There was one black spot that got bigger, and now it has been joined by a second black spot. This is all in the left eye. When were you diagnosed with diabetes he asked? 2015 I told him. This is diabetes related, the optometrist told me.
I did have a bit of a problem reading his eye tests. Then he did something different. And shone an LED light on them. Instantly I can read them. You need LED desk lamps, and one by your bedside he tells me. And tells me how to position the lights for reading, writing, and painting. He tells me I can get them from Argos, (and my car car happens to be parked outside Argos, but they were out of stock).
He tells me I do have diabetic retinopathy in both eyes. But that could come and go. However, and this was the bombshell, you have the cataracts developing in your left eye, he told me. The eye hospital told me I didn’t have cataracts at all 3 months ago, I told him. You have now in your left eye, he said. We will keep a close eye on this.
But first I have to get something he said. He went out of the room and tore a sheet of paper off a pad. It has a grid of squares with a black dot in the middle. And is called an Amsler chart. If when I look at this, the grid lines are not straight, and are distorted, wavy, or broken, then I have to get straight back to the optometrist. Because this serious he said.
Do you have wraparound UV sunglasses, he asked. I said yes. So he told me I should always wear them, every time I went outside. I said I did when it was sunny, but he said, no you need to wear them all the time when you are outside.
I was reeling when I came out of the optometrist’s. I am lying on the bed in my potting shed feeing sad, and now nursing a bit of headache with the dentist’s injections. And trying to drink from a bottle of water squirting it to the back of my mouth. The dentist said no food today, and no liquids must touch or swill round the the tooth hole...
Not quite what I expected from today.
>^..^<
@gennepher what a difficult day for you. I think eyes change all the time. I am going through antiVEGF injections for retinal vein occlusion which I never expected, especially because I try to control my BG well. There is the possibility that tighter dietary control can causes issues for 1-3 years (I am 18 months in). I am hoping things will settle. I dont want this reply to be about me but I am trying to show that problems do occur and quickly. I think your optician has been very thorough and you are in safe hands. It is quite amazing the eye treatments available to us now. I know you have had a shock but if you follow your opticians advice I believe you will be in safe hands.
Last but not least sorry about the dental treatment. Hope you sleep tonight and will feel better tomorrow. Tell Popeye from me he has some serious caring to do. Hugs.
Tough day and understandably opticians news will take time to digest. Sympathy for the tooth issue which would be sufficient to spoil most days. Easy to say from here but hopefully the dental issue is on the way to resolution and the more thorough optician, advice on UV sunglasses and detection of retinopathy means potentially more major problems can be avoided.
Okay @PenguinMumOh I wish I could tag in evidence but I cant only because I dont know how to. Could I tag the wonderful @Dark Horse who knows about all this if he doesn't mind. The thing I think about also is I dont know how long I had T2 before dx. I think that would be significant too.
@DJC3 I'm glad Dennis's first session went so well. And congratulations to you for removing the rabbit poo! Ick yuck! Oh, well, better than him eating kitty poo or horse poo, I guess.
@DJC3 my 2 are still attracted to any type of pop either to eat or roll in. Sorry if that is TMI at a meal time. Perhaps I should have followed @alf_Josiah example and pre fixed my post with a warning - too late now!
@DJC3 .lovely hearing about Dennis’s first day at school not so nice about the eats. I think he should have a packed lunch for school! Have a great evening with the girls.
We’re at the port having a surprisingly good coffee and tea In Morrison’s cafe.
Well done Dennis! Puppies are so cute!
Back from the hospital eye clinic after having my second lucentis eye injection. After I typed "having" my tablet helpfully suggested "fun". Obviously my tablet has a sense of humour.
Eye nothing like so sore as last time. When I told the doctor and nurses just how sore it had been they said I was sensitive to the iodine and they made sure that it was completely washed out after the injection.
The doctor and nurses were really nice tonight. I am so pleased that they did listen to me because it has made such a difference.That is good they listened to you, because you wouldn't have known that was the reason for the sore eye.
It's difficult to tell from a description but it sound like you may have some changes in the retinal pigment (the black spots) which are consistent with dry AMD (dry age-related macular degeneration). With some people (a minority), this dry AMD can progress to 'wet' AMD which can cause sight-loss if untreated. Treatment is most effective if caught early, hence the use of the Amsler grid which should detect any progression to wet AMD at an early stage. Normally, the advice is to check each eye separately (by closing the other eye) once a week and to go to the optometrists straight away if any lines appear distorted. Most people with dry AMD do not get wet AMD. There is some more info here:-Just got back from dentist. Now have a numb mouth. I am minus a tooth. I have to wait for it to heal, and then in a couple of weeks go back to get a mould made so to have an extra tooth added to my falsies. So that to look forward to. But the painful pressure of that sheared off tooth has now gone.
Thank you for all your good wishes.
I also had an optician’s yearly appointment, which was just before I went to the Dentist, they are next door to each other. It was a different optometrist, a man I have never seen before, but he was very thorough and very informative.
It is still sinking in what he found and told me. The way he did the eye testing and completely different to how I have had it before. I found it it bewildering. It was completely different testing apparatus and screens.
He also did different eye examinations (or they were the same done in a different way?).
He explained the the surface of my left eye was damaged which was why it felt and was drier. So it was imperative I use all the eyedrops I need, even oftener than every hour if needed. But both eyes need frequent eye drops.
He also explained that I should be keeping the eye drops and ointments in the fridge, because the eye itself is like a hot plate (was his analogy) and especially with this hot weather the eyedrops have sizzled away almost immediately they touch the eye. If they are cold from the fridge, they last longer in the eye and are more soothing because they last longer.
Then he asked me if I knew I had damage at the back of my left eye. I said no. So he brought up photographs from 2016 to the present. Before 2016 my left eye was fine. But from 2016 onwards the damage was there and has got worse with each photograph. There was one black spot that got bigger, and now it has been joined by a second black spot. This is all in the left eye. When were you diagnosed with diabetes he asked? 2015 I told him. This is diabetes related, the optometrist told me.
I did have a bit of a problem reading his eye tests. Then he did something different. And shone an LED light on them. Instantly I can read them. You need LED desk lamps, and one by your bedside he tells me. And tells me how to position the lights for reading, writing, and painting. He tells me I can get them from Argos, (and my car car happens to be parked outside Argos, but they were out of stock).
He tells me I do have diabetic retinopathy in both eyes. But that could come and go. However, and this was the bombshell, you have the cataracts developing in your left eye, he told me. The eye hospital told me I didn’t have cataracts at all 3 months ago, I told him. You have now in your left eye, he said. We will keep a close eye on this.
But first I have to get something he said. He went out of the room and tore a sheet of paper off a pad. It has a grid of squares with a black dot in the middle. And is called an Amsler chart. If when I look at this, the grid lines are not straight, and are distorted, wavy, or broken, then I have to get straight back to the optometrist. Because this serious he said.
Do you have wraparound UV sunglasses, he asked. I said yes. So he told me I should always wear them, every time I went outside. I said I did when it was sunny, but he said, no you need to wear them all the time when you are outside.
I was reeling when I came out of the optometrist’s. I am lying on the bed in my potting shed feeing sad, and now nursing a bit of headache with the dentist’s injections. And trying to drink from a bottle of water squirting it to the back of my mouth. The dentist said no food today, and no liquids must touch or swill round the the tooth hole...
Not quite what I expected from today.
>^..^<
It's difficult to tell from a description but it sound like you may have some changes in the retinal pigment (the black spots) which are consistent with dry AMD (dry age-related macular degeneration). With some people (a minority), this dry AMD can progress to 'wet' AMD which can cause sight-loss if untreated. Treatment is most effective if caught early, hence the use of the Amsler grid which should detect any progression to wet AMD at an early stage. Normally, the advice is to check each eye separately (by closing the other eye) once a week and to go to the optometrists straight away if any lines appear distorted. Most people with dry AMD do not get wet AMD. There is some more info here:-
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/age-related-macular-degeneration-amd/
UV light is thought to be a risk factor for both cataract and AMD. There is some info here:- https://www.allaboutvision.com/sunglasses/spf.htm
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