eyesight

[slinky.kate]

does anyone know if type2 diabetis.or the medication can effect your eyesight,i have atarted on medication 3 weeks ago.and now everything isquite blurred

[Sqad]

Slinky....it certainly can cause eyesight problems, but this is very unusual in the early stages.

What medication are you on?

[blackcat77]

Yes, type 2 diabetes can be very detrimental to your sight - if you are attending a diabetic clinic I would ask them about it, if not, see your doctor who'll probably suggest that you see an opthalmagist - one plus about diabetes (the only one!) is that you get your eye tests free because it is very important to know what is going on with the veins behind the eye. It's also a very good reason to get your suger levels within a normal range - usually between 4 - 7.5mmol/L as often blurring can be a sign of high blood sugar levels.

[slinky.kate]

i am on metformin 850mgs.twice a day, my blood sugar was 27 when it was discovered,at the moment it's at 19,i just got new glasses about 4 months ago,i have a hospital appointment made but have not received an appointment yet to get checked out for the veins in my eyes.if my sugar level goes down will it make my eyesight better???
thank you both so much,i have been quite worried.

[Sqad]

Slinky.....I agree with blackcat, in that your blurred vision is due to either too high or too low blood sugar levels and in your particular case....too high. These will be adjusted at your next visit which should clear up your blurred vision.

In my opinion your visual problems are nothing to do with your medication.

[slinky.kate]

thanks squad,you're a wee sweetie pie

[brenda]

gETTING A REAL GRIP OF YOUR BLOOD SUGAR WILL DEFINITELY HELP THE DIABETES WHICH IN TURN IS AFFECTING YOUR EYES.( sorry for the capitals , an accident.). Does you Gp practice have a dietition, or diabetes nurse who could help you sort out what you can and cannot eat .A reading of 19 is still way , way too high., as mentioned earlier. Type 2 diabetes can be helped greatly by your diet , your weight , and exercise.
I think it would help you a lot to have much more info about it and then you could really begin to help yourself much more.Ask at the practice for their advice . good luck brenda.

[slinky.kate]

thank you brenda,i have seen the dietician she is happy with me as i go to w.w.and have lost 3 stone,my medication is getting juggled to find the right dose for me,i test my blood twice a week.i have to start going to a group called'DESMOND' FOR SUPPORT TO HELP ME MANAGE IT,i cannot do much exercise as i am disabled but i try.

[blackcat77]

If at all possible, I would try and see someone (nurse, doctor, dietician) at a clinic or your doctors sooner rather than later -you've done well gtting your blood suger down but it needs to lower quite a bit more - 19 is still high. there is a site on the web called Diabetes UK, which is very good at explaining about the help you can get, as the more you know about diabetes, the more you can help yourself. Good luck.

www.diabetes.org.uk (I think!)

[blackcat77]

I think we cross-posted there Kate!

[slinky.kate]

blackcat you are very knowledable,how come? got another drs. appointment on the 15th.i see the doctor and nurse at the surgery,i will check out the website you mentioned.thank you.x x x x

[brenda]

slinky -- I think you are doing really well with the weight and going to your support group.To be informed about diabetes is the best way to handle it .Their is also a magazine called Balance from diabetes Uk , very good read , helpful simple recipes and so on,worth getting. Brenda.

[millerxxx]

hello slinky
if you go to diabetes .co.uk
its a brill forum
lots of help there
good luck

[bld767]

I'm a type 2 diabetic Kate, diagnosed in 1994, and refused to accept the fact that I had diabetes for about 18 months. In that time, and through constantly high suger levels I got diabetic retinopathy, where the veins behind the eyes burst, releasing blood into the back of the eye. I have had to have the back of both eyes lasered twice, to seal the veins which, although not painful, is quite unpleasant. I also had a cataract in one eye that had to be removed before they could laser one eye and I was only 44, which is pretty early for cataracts.With diabetic retinopathy, the lasering can cause blind spots in your sight that don't improve, you have to inform both your insurance company and the DVLC if you have this and I had to have my licence reviewed every year for 3 years and am now on a ten year check. I'm not scare-mongering, all this will hopefully never happen to you and many congratulations on losing so much weight already, just keep it going and read as much about diabetes as you can - it is very much easier to manage now, so many more people are better informed about it, and food having to be marked with sugers and fat helps you to meal plan much more easily. Good luck, and take care of yourself.

[bld767]

By the way, I'm also blackcat77, but this computer won't let me log-in as blackcat, so I've hi-jacked my OH's profile name!

[Bobbisox]

Hello kate, Bill was diagnosed with type 2 , he had to change his specs but after the medication started to act, his eyesight went back to normal

Bobbi x

[slinky.kate]

i would like to thank you all very much for supporting me,it has helped a great deal,i am trying so hard but it takes a while to get in the swing of things

[york310]

in early uncontrolled diabetes it is common to have a change in prescription - often that you will have an increase in short-sightedness. This generally reverts once your blood sugar levels has stabilised. This is possibly caused by a change in the lens inside your eye. Sometimes it doesnt revert fully and you may be left with a small but stable change in your prescription.
This blurring is most definitely not due to diabetic retinopathy unless you have been an undiagnosed diabetic for a very long time.

[slinky.kate]

thanks york310